The Eye Opening Turnabout
by ChihiroAyasato
Summary: Dahlia is tired of being isolated. At birth, she was marked as an accident. Someone who shouldn't exist. She lives as if trapped in a cage. Upon meeting a certain member of the main family, however, her life changes. For the better, or for the worst?
1. Prologue Homecoming

**CHARACTER LISTINGS**

**Sonozaki Mion **– Iris Hawthorne**  
>Sonozaki Shion<strong> – Dahlia Hawthorne  
><strong>Hojo Satoshi<strong> - Mia Fey**  
>Ryugu Rena<strong> – Miles Edgeworth  
><strong><strong>Maebara Keiichi<strong> – **Phoenix Wright  
><strong>Hojo Satoko - <strong>Maya Fey  
><strong>Furude Rika <strong>– Pearl Fey  
><strong>Sonozaki Akane<strong> – Misty Fey  
><strong>Sonozaki Oryou –<strong> Morgan Fey  
><strong>Tatsuyoshi Kasai<strong> – Jake Marshall  
><strong>Tomitake Jiro <strong>– Will Powers  
><strong>Takano Miyo <strong>– Dee Vasquez  
><strong>Oiishi Kuraudo <strong>– Daryan Crescend  
><strong>Kimiyoshi Kiichirou<strong>- Robert Hammond  
><strong>Irie Kyousuke <strong>– Kristoph Gavin  
><strong>Chie Rumiko <strong>– Lana Skye

* * *

><p><strong>Gyakuten Meakashi<strong>

**The Eye Opening Turnabout**

_"I dropped my beads in the desert," the girl wept._  
><em>The girl searched the desert for a hundred years.<em>  
><em>"Maybe I didn't drop them in the desert, but in the ocean," the girl wept.<em>  
><em>The girl searched the seafloor for a hundred years.<em>  
><em>"Maybe I didn't drop them in the ocean, but the mountains," the girl wept.<em>  
><em>How many years will it be before she questions whether she really dropped them at all?"<em>

_- Frederica Berkastel_

**Prologue **

A sharp zap crackles in the silent air, followed by a dull thud, as sister drags sister across the wooden floorboards. Just before losing consciousness, Iris Hawthorne glimpses her mother's still figure, bound and gagged on a wheelchair. She opens her mouth desperately so cry out for help, but nothing comes out but a gasp as her vision begins to blur. She blacks out before being dragged into darkness by the only person whom she thought she could truly trust.

She tested the stone wall's stability by banging against it slightly with the heel of her foot. It was firmly intact.  
>"Hmph, just what I expected from the barrier which has prevented me from breathing freedom's air. But I'll have you know that even the likes of you can be bested."<p>

The girl quickly judged the distance between herself and the ground below and leapt nimbly down. As soon as she had landed, she noticed the piercing headlights of a car pull up to meet her.

The window screen slid down to reveal the face of a familiar detective.

"Nice work, bambina. Welcome back."

"Heh, it's been a long time since I tasted freedom." She smirked and slipped into the car. It began moving as soon as she got in and secured her seatbelt. She glanced back at the boarding school she had been kept in, glaring at it with hatred.

"To think Mother would put me through all of this…sometimes I wonder if she even cares." She hissed and leaned back into the comfortable chair.  
>"What do you think, Marshall?"<p>

The detective stopped at a red light and took the chance to readjust his texas cowboy hat which he made a habit of wearing.  
>"Can't say I can answer to that, bambina. Your mother would have my guts if she somehow heard my response."<p>

"So…you agree then?" She flicked a strand of her flame red hair away from her eyes, and scanned the scenery outside. It really had been too long since she'd last seen the world outside the school boundaries. The thing that she feared most…was being kept in there like some caged animal.

"Lighten up, filly. You're the daughter of the most powerful families in Hinamizawa…You're a Fey! Shouldn't you be more proud of your title…little princess?"

Dahlia glared at him, showing her teeth.  
>"Don't you <em>ever <em>use that name with me again, you hear? I do not wish to be known as an…ornament confined in a glass case…! You will address me as Dahlia…Dahlia Hawthorne."

"Heh, I see. Preferring your father's side when it comes to the choice of noise, eh? Very well…Ms. _Hawthorne_...I shall watch my tongue from now on."

The sudden talk of her father reminded her of the only person she wished to see other than Marshall. Her mother was definitely _not_ on her list.

"…How's Iris doing?"

"From what I've heard…she's doing just fine."

"That's…good." Her twin sister was one of the only people whom the stubborn red head cared about in this cruel world.  
>"I guess she's been living with the Morgan Monster, huh."<p>

"Heh, I wouldn't be making a habit of using that name…but yes. She was allowed to move in with the main family around the same time you got sent to school. Honestly, though? I still think you should have switched hair colours with her at the last minute and live in the main house yourself. I'm sure sweet little Iris would enjoy the boarding school life much more than you. You two are identical twins, you could easily have pulled it off."

"No, that would have been too cruel for Iris."

"Too cruel?"

"Iris is too soft for boarding school, she's nothing but a domestic flower raised in familiar surroundings. I doubt she would have been able to adapt to that kind of life."

"Sounds like you care about her quite a lot. You sure are a nice sister, you know."

"Yeah, you think that would be impossible considering that I was supposed to be strangled at birth. She should be grateful that I even talk to her…then again… the fact that she was chosen over me isn't exactly her fault."

Dahlia recalled the family's tradition of killing a twin whom displayed no or less spiritual power. Two magatamas had been placed on the chests of both her and Iris shortly after they were born, and Dahlia's magatama's glow had been slightly weaker than Iris's. However, their father had convinced her mother that she had potential to do things other than spirit channelling, and allowed her to live.

"By the way, as soon as you arrive back in the village, you're going to be recognised pretty soon. The main family pretty much own the place and have eyes wherever one goes. And sooner or later, you're going to be sent back to the boarding school."

"Hmph…well, I guess things are going to turn pretty ugly."

_But I won't be caught that easily. Not this time._

Sometimes, she just got so sick of the traditional system which separated the 'main family' and the 'branch family'. As everyone knew, every few years, one side of the family would be chosen to be in charge of running the entire village and the other, despite being kin to them, would be considered as the 'weaker side' of the family. The branch family was the latter. In usual circumstances, the older of the siblings of the Fey family would be the leader of the main family. But that hadn't been the case with her mother. Her sister, Misty, was more gifted than she was in spirit channelling, and had been presented with the title of Master of the Channelling Technique. Fuelled by jealousy and rage, Morgan Fey had vowed to get her sister back for overpowering her and had been trying to find reasons to overthrow her ever since.

Because of this clash between the two sides of the family, there have been many 'accidents' recently. Usually involving children from the both the main and branch families. Dahlia, however, wanted no part in this. She sometimes wished her mother would just be satisfied with her current status and swallow her pride. However, she sensed that that wouldn't be happening any time soon.

"So, you're finally going home after so many years, Dahlia. What do you think you'll do?"

Dahlia stretched back in the car seat and closed her eyes to think.

"Well, first I'll hide out at that apartment building Dad took control of. I won't let anybody see me, and when I go out, I'll wear a black wig. So if I do bump into anyone I know, I'll tell them I'm Iris."

"And then?" Jake grinned, nodding at the cleverness of the quickly thought up plan.

"When things have calmed down. I'll gradually tell people the truth, starting with my closest relatives. There should be a few people who will take my side."  
>Dahlia opened her eyes and stared out the car window. Luminous street lamps whipped past them as they sped along the road.<br>"Everyone was against it when they sent me to school after all."

"I see. Once you've won enough allies, you'll ultimately get the Fey family to overlook your crime...But will things work out that smoothly?"

She turned back towards the detective and grinned.

"Of course they will!"

_They might laugh at me for being homesick..._  
><em>but Hinamizawa is the only place I can think to go.<em>


	2. Part I  An Act of Kindness

**Gyakuten Meakashi **

**The Eye Opening Turnabout**

**Part I – An Act of Kindness**

In the early morning of the next day, the phone rang in the shrine of the main house. A passing medium picked it up.

"Hello, Main Family Shrine. Yes, alright. Just wait a moment."

She removed the phone from her ear and called towards the side room.

"Mystic Iris, you have a phone call. It's Detective Marshall."

"Eh? Detective Marshall?"

Iris emerged from the room, still in her dressing gown. She received the phone from the shrine maiden.

"Hello, this is Iris."

An evil cackle sounded from the earpiece.

"Heh-heh-heh...Do you know who this is?"

Iris gasped.

"T-That voice! But it can't be! My sister's supposed to be locked up at the academy!"

"They didn't let us make outside calls from the academy. So if I'm calling you now, what does that mean...?"

The teasing voice continued.

"Y-You broke out of school?" Iris made sure to keep her voice down, in case she alerted Morgan.

"Aww, I missed you, younger sister!" A forced, sickly sweet voice reached her ears.

"D-Dahlia.."

There was a chuckle, and then they both burst into laughter.

"Wow, to think you really escaped. You're amazing, Dahlia!"

"Their security might have been a little too lax for keeping someone like me locked up! Ah-ha!"

Dahlia leaned back onto the apartment bed and punched the pillow enthusiastically.

"Hey, Iris, has the school notified the family about my escape?"

"Hmm, I don't think so." Iris's hesitant and gentle voice was music to Dahlia's ears.

"All phone calls and visitors to the main house go through me this week since the Master is out with the rest of the family. So I can say with confidence that they haven't yet."

Dahlia smirked.

"Wow, I'm impressed. That's the 'chosen member of the branch family' for you."

"Ehh? But I don't want to be! Trade with me, Dahlia!"

"Are you kidding me? I don't want to either! Anyway, if anything happens that has anything to do with me, please contact Jake, okay? I'll be hiding in an apartment in the area for a while."

"Right, if mother finds out you ran away from school. I think there could be a lot of trouble..."

"And I have one more favour to ask of you, Iris."

"Hmm, what?" Iris pressed the earpiece closer to hear better.

"I'm want to get a part time job so I can support myself. Uncle Grossberg was on my side. I'm going to put out feelers and see if I can work at one of his businesses."

Dahlia adjusted the phone to her other ear.

"When I know what hours I'll be working I'll let you know so..."

"You just need me to disappear while you're working, right?" Iris smiled at her sister's well thought out plan.

"Right! That way, if it looks like I might be caught on the job. I can just say that I'm you."

"What about your hair? Won't they be able to tell?"

"Nope, I still have that black wig that Jake had made for me from a while back. It still fits perfectly and I'll just use it as my disguise."

"You're quite a crafty one, you know, Dahlia."

"And of course that's a compliment, right? Ah-ha!"

"In that case, then no problem, you can have a job! Just leave it to me, Dahlia, m'dear." Marvin Grossberg drew a long breath on the pipe he was smoking and breathed out deeply.

Dahlia smiled her angelic smile.

"I knew I could count on you, Uncle Grossberg!"

She bowed deeply, remembering what Iris had taught her about manners.

"I'm not very experienced but I look forward to working with you."

"And I you!" Grossberg nodded.

"So, how are things here? Anything new in Hinamizawa?" Dahlia sat herself back in her chair and observed her uncle's office.

They were sitting across each other on a handsome mahogany worktable. A large painting of a farmer hung on the wall next to them, its oil paint still glistening freshly. It was obvious he was well off.

"Nothing really new...it's been pretty laid back ever since the incidents over the two families ended."

"Wow, it's like the war ended and everyone got soft?" Dahlia took a sip of her apple tea and eyed her uncle playfully.

"Now that you mention it, it had gotten serious and there was that dismembered body, wasn't there?"

The atmosphere in the room suddenly became tense.

"Did they ever catch the killer?"

"Hmm, if I remember right, they haven't caught the ringleader."

"But the murder happened on the night of the cotton drifting – the night Hinamizawa celebrates their guardian deity, Ami Fey! Everybody made a lot of noise about it being Ami's curse, right?"

Dahlia referred to her ancestor, the first of the Feys, Ami Fey, whom started the whole tradition of spirit channeling and was the oldest head of the village.

"Yes, Ami Fey's curse. It happened the next year too…"

Dahlia nodded and crossed her arms.

"Right, that caused quite the stir too! A man who supported the main family died in an accident! And it was also on the day of the Cotton Drifting! Two years in a row and it really hits you, you know. I still believe in Ami's curse."

"Dahlia, it wasn't just two years."

"Eh?"

"It happened the year after as well… Last year, in fact."

The elder twin took a deep breath.

"You can't mean that…"

"Oh, but I do, m'dear. It happened once again."

Grossberg's brow furrowed and he leaned against the worktable.

"Ami Fey's curse, that is."

The following day, Iris came to visit Dahlia in her apartment, along with more news behind the mysterious curse. Iris sat on Dahlia's bed and closed her eyes to think just like her sister did in a situation worth contemplating.

"I think the strange illness case was an exaggeration. But it's true his death was sudden."

Dahlia looked up, knowing her twin was referring to a priest of the main house.

"The priest wasn't feeling well because of all the stress of getting ready for the cotton drifiting. I think it was acute heart failure or something like that."

Dahlia turned on Iris with a puzzled look on her face.

"But it's weird that it happened on the day of the cotton drifting, isn't it? And for the third year in a row. And everyone who's died mysteriously is someone Ami Fey shouldn't curse. There's definitely something strange behind this…I remember the people who went against the main family hated the priest, didn't they?"

"Yes," Iris opened her eyes.

"They attacked him for being a fence sitter. He was passive in the branch families going against the main family. And he didn't raise any objections to the main family going against the other side either. They said he wasn't fit to be a priest at the main family shrine."

"Hmm, thinking back on it now...maybe the priest was pretty mature about the whole thing. I mean, everyone around him was worked up into a frenzy..but he stayed cool and remained neutral."

Dahlia said thoughtfully.

"I don't know about that." Iris looked down hesitantly.

"…Huh?"

"If he was mature, shouldn't he have gone along with what everyone wanted? Uncle Fey wasn't just the head priest at the shrine. He was technically related to the head of the Fey family, the main family. I don't know if it was a good idea to disturb the peace at a time when all of Hinamizawa needed to join together in unity."

Dahlia stared at her sister.

_This was the first time our opinions had been so at odds on anything before._

She suddenly felt herself flare up at anger, even though it wasn't really a big deal. Was it because she felt like she was losing a connection with her sister?

"So what are you saying then?" Dahlia snarled.

"The priest should have hidden his opinion out of consideration for the whole village? Are you saying that you shouldn't try to an individual when surrounded by totalitarianism?"

"I-I didn't say that!" Iris shrank back in fear and raised her hands in denial. She knew how Dahlia was when she was angry.

"It's just…he's one of the heads in the main family…so…maybe he should have been a little more careful in his behaviour.

Dahlia observed her sister. It had been a little more than a year since they were torn apart. Yet during that time, Iris had advanced so much, in becoming a part of the main family.

She changed her glare to a teasing smile.

"Hmm, when did you get so grown-up, Iris?"

Iris smiled back, relieved that Dahlia wasn't angry at her anymore.

"I guess I really am starting to think like a Fey."

"What's wrong with that? You are going to remain a part of the main family, even if it's the lower ranked side of it. It just goes to show how far you've come in studying to be a good shrine maiden!"

"I-I'm not studying that!" Iris glowed bright pink.

"I'm just trying to figure out what to do to keep our mother satisfied! You could do that no problem!"

"I don't want to! It's your job to babysit that hag, not me."

"D-Dahlia!" Iris reached out for her instinctively and stopped when she realised her sister had fixed her with a cold stare.

"D-Dahlia…?"

"Iris…I was never happy about being separated. Not when our homes were pulled apart…and not when we were physically pulled apart either. Maybe you think I hate you for that."

Iris looked down, shivering slightly in the cold atmosphere.

"But then you would be wrong."

She glanced up, surprised to see Dahlia giving her a comforting smile.

"It's true that I don't agree with this, that I don't think it's fair. But there's nothing for you to feel bad about. You work hard as Iris."

Dahlia gently tapped a fist on Iris' forehead.

"And I'll work hard as Dahlia."

Iris left soon after that, wishing her sister good luck. Marshall arrived towards the evening, just as Dahlia had finished fixing herself some dinner.

"Hey, bambina. Can I come in?" He tipped his hat to her.

"Oh, Jake! Perfect timing, would you like to eat before you leave?"

"Appreciate it, bambina." Jake took a seat on the other side of the small table.

After a minute of silence, his face grew serious.

"The school called your house today."

"Today? Ahahaha, took them long enough. It looks like they really didn't want this to get out!"

Dahlia said good naturedly.

"Misty Fey took the call. She says she'll look for a good opportunity to talk to your mother about it."

"If my hag of a mother finds out, then it's the torture chamber as soon as they find me, ooh, scary." She said mockingly.

Later that night, Dahlia receives another call from Iris.

"Well, Iris? What's it looking like with the hag?"

"Mother's furious. She wants them to march you straight away to her when they find you."

"Ohh, scary! What are Aunt and everyone actually doing?"

"There's a family meeting coming up. They want to ask everyone there if they're hiding you. But it doesn't look like they're going to have them search around your area or anything."

"…I guess Aunt Misty really stood up for me. That's nice of her. It seems like she's more of a mother to me than that old hag…"

Dahlia sighed and repositioned the earpiece.

"Okay, tell me if anything else happens. I'm planning to leave town if things get really bad. Jake, Uncle Grossberg and Aunt Misty, they all helped me. I can't let them take the fall."

"…"

There was an uncomfortable silence on the other end of the phone.

"I know what you're thinking, Iris." Dahlia laughed.

"You're wondering why I have to be the only one in hiding, when we're sisters sharing the same blood, right?"

"I-It's not fair for you to be the only one with so many restrictions." Iris hiccupped.

"Thank you, Iris. I'm just happy knowing you feel that way."

She hung up after teasing her a bit more to cheer her up. And lay on her bed dejectedly.

_I'll get some groceries tomorrow since I probably won't be able to stay in this town. I'll either be sent back to school if they find me…or I'll escape to some other far away town. _

_Either way…I have no choice but to live alone without anyone's help…_

"That'll be nine thousand yen,"

"N-Nine thousand yen?" Dahlia stared at the shopkeeper in horror.

"I checked all the prices on this food, it should only be four thousand five hundred yen!"

The shopkeeper eyed Dahlia with an air of indifference.

"Can't be helped, can it? You're a member of the branch family, are you not? All people from the branch family have to pay double."

"What are you saying? That's crazy talk!" Dahlia glared at him.

"I don't HAVE nine thousand yen!"

"Well then, I suggest you take this pile of shopping and place each item back to it's original shelf, miss."

"But I need this food! I can't just go and.."

Dahlia struggled and desperately tried to think a way out of this.

This was the cheapest department store for food she could find and there was no where else she could go. If she left the area, she would be spotted immediately by the main family.

What could she do…?

"Give it to her for four thousand five hundred like it is, mister. I don't think it's very fair of you to do this to her."

Dahlia looked up in surprise and found a girl close to her age standing next to her with her arms crossed. She wore a tan scarf and a blue magatama across her neck.

_No way…a member of the main house?_

She was just about to leave in a hurry in case she was caught when her brain suddenly registered what the girl had just said.

She was helping her?

"M-Miss Fey! I'm so sorry! Is she with you?"

The girl looked at the cowering Dahlia.

"Yes, she's with me. So you better show her the same respect as you do to me, understand?"

"Y-Yes, of course, Miss Fey! In fact, since this is you we're talking about. You can get a discount for all of the food! You can have it for a thousand yen!"

_Wha..? Just who is this person? And why does the shopkeeper respect her so much? She's not part of the yazuka, is she?_

"Thank you very much."

They both left the department store. Dahlia felt her purse and was surprised at how heavy it still was.

"Are you okay? That shopkeeper's quite a handful, he's even acquaintances with some street alley punks. I'm glad he didn't call them on you."

Dahlia glanced up into the warm eyes of her saviour.

"Y-Yeah…thanks a lot…for that…um…"

She smiled.

"You act like you don't know me. That's kind of harsh, since we go to the same school and all."

"The same school..? Oh!"

Dahlia blinked, realising her error and tugging her hair to make sure her wig was still positioned correctly.

_She thinks I'm Iris. _

She quickly regained her composure.

"I-I'm surprised at you, I didn't think a member of the main family would look out for someone from the other side…"

"Hey, we're family, aren't we? I don't see why I should treat you differently just because we're in different positions of this supposed 'hierarchy'."

Dahlia felt a hand gently rubbing the top of her head.

"H-Hey, are you mocking me?"

"No, I'm just glad, that's all." She smiled again.

"Glad…? About what?"

"That you're okay."

Dahlia was stunned, and let the girl pat her head for a while.

_This was the first time…that someone who I didn't know helped me when I was in trouble…_

_I didn't think there was anyone, let alone someone from the main family, that would come help me…_

_Just who is she?_

**Part I - An Act of Kindness End**


	3. Part II Responsibility

**Gyakuten Meakashi**

**The Eye Opening Turnabout**

**Part II – Responsibility**

Dahlia used the first chance she got when she next spoke to Iris to ask about the mysterious girl.  
>"Oh, that's Mia. Mia Fey. If she had no reservations about patting people on the head, there's no doubt about it." Iris' cheerful voice came through the phone.<br>"Wow, so she tried to help you, Dahlia? She's usually so busy, but I guess she saw something special in you to help you out the way she did."  
>"Hmm..Mia, is it?" Dahlia felt the place on her head where she was patted and felt herself blushing slightly. She had never had physical contact with anyone she didn't know.<p>

_Well, I don't get to walk around outside again for another three days. I can't ask Iris to do anymore, I'm pushing it as it is.  
>Damn it, I'm a total shut in!<br>Is this really the life I wanted?  
>An image of the boarding school appeared in her mind.<br>I thought that if I could cross that wall, I would be free.  
>But in reality…<br>How long will I go on living like this?_

A few days later, Dahlia spent the morning dressing in the spirit medium acolyte's uniform and placing her black wig on carefully. She admired her handiwork in the mirror.  
>"Perfect. I got these clothes for my disguise the last time I went out. Now I look like Iris from every angle. Time to venture out to the outside world!"<br>Dahlia left her apartment and crossed the street, walking alongside a nearby park.  
>"I better show my face at work or else Uncle Grossberg would think there's something wrong…hmm?"<br>She heard a creak coming from the park and found a figure sitting alone on the swings.  
><em>Is that…Mia?<em>  
>She suddenly remembered what Iris had told her on the phone the other day.<br>_**Actually, Mia is the daughter of the Master of Kurain Channeling, Misty Fey. Her father died as a result of the incidents involved with Ami Fey's curse. Right now, she and her little sister are being taken care by our mother and I don't think they're treating her very well. Mother isn't happy about the fact that she has to take care of the children of her superior sibling. And since they're the children of the main family, a lot of the supporters of the branch family in the village are hostile towards her.  
>Mia's doing okay because she's grown up, but the relationship between Mother and her sister Maya couldn't be any worse. Lately, all the bullying has Mia really worn out.<strong>_/i  
>And just then, Dahlia resolved to do something about this. Mia appeared really tired and depressed as she sagged against the swing seat. Dahlia couldn't see her like this.<br>_I'm Iris…I'm Iris. Alright!_  
>She tentatively took a few steps towards her.<br>At the sound of the slightest footstep, Mia immediately jerked up, alert at once.  
>"You don't look so good, are you okay?" Dahlia did her best to sound caring and nice, just like her sister.<br>"Iris…"  
>"What's wrong, is there something bothering you?"<br>"N-Nothing…"  
>"You sure I can't help you with any of it?"<br>"No…it's something I can't get your help with, Iris." Mia said tiredly, but at the same time, she sounded grateful for the offer.  
>"Oh, so you don't want help from a girl like me, is that it?" Some of Dahlia's old snappy comeback habits jumped back. And she realised this too late.<br>"Err, I-I mean…!"  
>Mia didn't seem to notice.<br>"No, it's not that all all, Iris. It's just all this channeling work has worn me out, that's all."  
><em>Oh, that's right.<br>Iris told me that Morgan has been forcing Mia to do a lot of spirit channeling. Most of the spirits to be called are near impossible to host. Morgan keeps saying that it's so to train her up as the next head of the family, but I think that's just an excuse to tire Mia out._  
>"Oh, is that all?"<br>"'Is that all?' Blowing off my problems like nothing…!" Mia sagged lower and pouted, though it was evident she was playing along.  
>"In that case, you can just practice all the harder, and show what Morgan what you're truly made of, right? I heard that you've got a lot of talent for spirit channeling, so I wouldn't mind helping you out a little bit."<br>'Thank you, I'm feeling a little better now."  
>Mia stood up and gently patted Dahlia's hair again.<br>"Thanks for your encouragement, Iris!"  
>"N-No…" Dahlia said with embarrassment.<br>"It was nothing, really."  
>"No, I really mean it. Thank you!" Mia smiled warmly again.<br>"Well I better go, Aunt Morgan asked me to get some groceries."  
>Dahlia made up her mind to discover more about Mia Fey.<br>"I-I'm going shopping too! Can I come with you?" she blurted out, completely forgetting about work.  
>"Hmm? Don't the other shrine maidens do the shopping, Iris?"<br>_Blast!_  
>"I-I thought maybe I would help them out a little and do house work once in a while! That's a-all!" she made up quickly.<br>"Hmm, alright then. Let's go."

Dahlia followed Mia around the aisles in the shopping centre. She glanced up at her now and then nervously, for ever since she met her, Dahlia had revealed her true nature more than just a few times.  
><em>It's strange…<br>When the two of us trade places, it's the perfect switch. Even our family can't tell.  
>And yet… I've been slipping up all over the place…<br>Why? Is it because I'm in front of her? _  
>Mia noticed Dahlia staring at her in fascination.<br>"Is something wrong?"  
>"E-Eh? N-Nope, it's nothing!"<br>"You know, shopping with you is somehow very thrilling." Mia smiled.  
>Dahlia blinked, confused.<br>"Huh, how so?"  
>"Well, you put everything in the basket without checking the price or how many people it will serve. You forgot where you put your wallet, and on top of that, you spilled your change everywhere. Honestly, you're really different to how I thought you would be, Iris." Mia giggled.<br>"Ack! S-Sorry!" Dahlia blushed furiously. She had been so keen to find out more about Mia that she'd hardly paid any attention to her shopping.  
>"Ah, no, put in the tofu last, and put the beef pack in the bottom."<br>Dahlia felt Mia's warm hand take the tofu from her and wrapped it in plastic, and then reaching for the beef pack and placing it in the basket.  
>After that, Dahlia came with Mia to a remote shrine within the area to train. And did so every time she could sneak out as Iris.<br>She smiled as she watched Mia deep in concentration and kneeling with the magatama necklace and a string of beads in between her hands, clasped together in prayer.  
><em>I don't think this is "love" or anything like that.<br>I'm sure…I'm just enjoying my free time with her.  
>Enjoying my new life that happens to have her in it, that's all.<br>I just…want to know so much more about her.  
>I want to tease her more.<br>I want her to pat my head more.  
>I want to see her smile more.<br>I want to be with her more. _

Later that night, Jake walks in to Dahlia's room to find her gathering a large pile of magatamas and other spiritual beads together.  
>"What are you doing there, bambina? Trying to take after your sister?"<br>"Hehe, nothing like that!"  
>"The main family has been keeping a stern eye out for your lately. Please be more careful…And please put your underwear in the laundry basket."<br>He said, picking up the pieces of clothing thrown carelessly on the floor.  
>"I know, I know! Haha,"<br>_In the next training session, I'll bring lots of refreshments.  
>Candied lemons and ice cold barley tea…<em>  
>"What am I doing? I'm acting so stupid! Ahaha…"<br>Dahlia muffled her laughter into her pillow.

_**Waaahhhh…!  
>Waaaaaahhhh!<br>I can hear someone crying.  
>Maya is crying again.<br>Mummy…I want my mummy…! Sis….Miaaaaa…!  
>I have to help her.<br>MIA…MIA!**_/i

"Miss Fey…!"  
>"Ah…?" Mia opened her eyes, and found she was leaning against the classroom desk. Her arms were sore from staying in this position for too long.<br>"Class is over."  
>"Uh…oh, okay. Thanks for waking me up, Miles."<br>Miles Edgeworth's blurry outline became more focused as Mia rubbed the sleep from her eyes.  
>"Are you all right? It looked like you were having a nightmare."<br>"Eh, it did? I've been having bad dreams lately…"  
>"Yeah? What kind of dreams?"<br>The sound of their classmates running through the corridor interrupted their conversation. Mia felt a chill brushing down her spine as their footsteps died away.  
>Footsteps.<br>"Miss Fey…" Miles suddenly neared Mia without warning, yet she found herself unable to draw back.  
>"If you feel the 'presence' getting closer…and you start to hear footsteps…and it starts to always look down at you, Miss Fey. Then talk to me about it, okay?"<br>His face was now only a few centimeters away from her own.  
>"Because those…are the signs of Ami Fey's Curse."<br>He chose this moment to silently walk off.  
>As he left the room, Mia heard the sound of the higurashi crying in the distance grow ever so slightly louder.<p>

As Dahlia entered the training shrine with the basket of food she had carefully prepared, she noticed Mia was already there, in uniform along with another person.  
>"Hello Iris, long time no see," the gentleman said, taking a bow.<br>"Y-Yeah…hello there." Dahlia observed the man from afar.  
>He seemed to be in his early twenties and had long blond hair that he had tied into a side ponytail. He wore glasses and a lab coat. She slowly shifted closer to Mia.<br>"You don't seem to remember me," he said, reading her expression accurately.  
>"I'm the family doctor, Kristoph Gavin. I suppose we haven't been on close terms often so it's natural that you wouldn't remember."<br>"O-Oh, okay. W-Why are you here now then?" Dahlia couldn't help but ask nervously.  
>"Well, young Mia here hasn't been feeling well for a while now so I've been asked to supervise her whenever she's doing intensive training."<br>"I see." She noticed Mia was already in her kneeling position and was muttering incantations under her breath to bring forth a spirit.  
>All of sudden, without any warning, she collapsed sideways and onto Dahlia, panting heavily.<br>"M-Mia? What's wrong?"  
>Kristoph came and lifted her into his arms immediately. He placed her on the soft matting of the floor and pressed a cool, wet cloth onto her forehead.<br>"She's alright. She just needs to rest a little."  
>"…Mr. Gavin. Is she really okay?" Dahlia took Mia's hands in her worriedly, and was surprised to find how cold it was, like there was no blood in her fingers.<br>"I'm a doctor, don't you trust me?"  
>"But if she's hurt like that, shouldn't she go home and rest there?"<br>Kristoph studied Dahlia for a while and then sighed.  
>"I guess you don't know, but when your mother took her in after Misty left to attend to matters outside the village, Mia's health started deteriorating rapidly."<br>"Eh?" Dahlia sat up straight, almost dropping Mia's hand in the process.  
>"Why is that? What's wrong with her?"<br>She didn't understand the feeling of anxiety that was taking over her system completely. Why would she get so worked up over this? She realised then just how much she cared about Mia.  
>"I did all kinds of tests on her," he continued. "but I couldn't find the cause. Eventually though, I figured it out. This is a psychological illness."<br>"A…why?" Dahlia tightened her hold on Mia's hand, and heard her murmur softly.  
>"In her family, the relationship between her sister Maya and your mother was never good, and Mia would always defend Maya whenever she was in trouble. Once, Maya played a prank on Morgan and Mia ended up getting physically punished for it. However, Maya's attitude never changed after that, her relationship with Morgan only got worse, and Mia kept defending her. She must have reached her limit."<br>Kristoph pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose.  
>"That's when I suggested if Mia could train in a remote shrine. I thought she could forget about her family for a little while, it would ease the emotional burden. Mia is collapsing mentally, and not having to worry about her little sister has helped her health to improve. But lately, it looks like her health is failing again."<br>Dahlia turned her attention back to Mia's sleeping form. She could see bruises on various parts of her body from the physical training and also bags under her tired eyes.  
>She felt her heart twist into a knot.<br>_The reason I'm able to keep my spirits up is because I get to see Mia.  
>Mia…what can I do?<br>What can I do to raise your spirits?_

When Mia had woken, Dahlia suggested they take a break from channeling today and go relax at a nearby restaurant. After ordering, Mia left to use the restroom and Dahlia made sure with the waiter that their orders would arrive promptly.  
><em>What I can do for Mia…is give her a little change of pace.<em>  
>This is why Dahlia was very surprised when Mia unexpectedly said she was leaving for home after returning.<br>"B-But, why?"  
>"Sorry, Iris. I want to relax at home today."<br>The waiter chose this moment to set their food on the table.  
>"Um, is it okay for me to take this custard home?"<br>"Eh? O-Oh, yeah, that's fine. Go right ahead!" Dahlia passed the dessert tub along with a spoon to Mia.  
>"Good, Maya will like this…" And missing her step, Mia crashed into the table next to them but managed to stay on her feet.<br>"Mia!" Dahlia helped placed a hand on her shivering shoulder.  
>"Sorry, I'm a little dizzy, that's all…"<br>"You're lying." Dahlia said, almost on the verge of tears.  
>"You don't want to relax at home! The truth is you're worried about Maya, aren't you?"<br>Mia's face became stony and she said nothing.  
>Kristoph's words swam back to the front of Dahlia's mind.<br>_**Mia has been saying she wants to go back to train at one of the shrines at home. Probably because she can't protect Maya while she's training outside.**_ /i  
>"You're worried that your aunt is bullying her while you're gone. But what's going to happen to you, Mia? I know that you're worried about Maya, but sometimes you need to forget about the bad things at home and take a break from them! If you don't, you'll…"<br>Mia suddenly placed a steady hand on Dahlia, signaling for her to stop.  
>"See you at school, tomorrow. And thanks for today." She appeared not to have heard her.<br>That was the last day Mia trained at the remote shrine with Dahlia.

"Miss Hawthorne, are you going home now?"  
>Dahlia realised someone was calling her and looked to her side to see a young boy in a formal suit and holding his schoolbag.<br>She recalled hearing about him from Iris. There's only one person in class that called her 'Miss Hawthorne'.  
>Miles Edgeworth, a transfer student who moved here last spring.<br>Dahlia took her attention away from the shrine she always trained at with Mia and followed him.  
>They walked half way before the rain started. The two of them found a sheltered bus stop and decided to wait there until the rain stopped.<br>Dahlia crossed her arms and hung her head in dismay. The weather seemed to mirror her feelings.  
>"Are you lonely because Mia Fey won't talk to you?"<br>Dahlia looked at him with surprise.  
><em>Does that mean…she's been distancing herself from everyone at school too?<em>  
>"It seems like she's under a lot of pressure because of everything that's going on with Maya Fey. All we can do is watch over her, no matter how hard that is."<br>_Mia…have things gotten that bad since I last saw you?_  
>"Miss Hawthorne, you're good friends with Mia Fey, aren't you?"<br>"Y-Yes…" And not knowing what came over her, Dahlia let the tears flow from her eyes and down her cheek.  
><em>No matter how restricted I was, even if I could only spend time with her in Iris' shadow…if Mia just smiled at me from time to time, then I…How did I grow to like her so much?<em>  
>"Then smile."<br>Dahlia looked up and gazed at Miles.  
>"I think your smile can cheer Mia Fey up ever so slightly. And I'm sure she'll be more open to us when she's done with her job, okay?"<br>_Job…?_  
>"Her job…huh? I wonder when she'll be done with it." Dahlia decided to play along to dig deeper into the issue.<br>"Probably when she earned enough money. But however long it takes, she'll be done in time for Maya's birthday."  
><em>Maya's birthday…?<br>Mia's been working so that she can get an expensive present for Maya?  
>To encourage her battered sister…even though she's been worn ragged herself…!<br>She's on the brink of exhaustion because of Maya.  
>And she's spurring on her battered body to work for Maya.<br>If she would just forget about Maya, things would be so much easier for her!_  
>"Maya is too spoiled." Dahlia said without thinking.<br>Miles gazed at her with a confused expression on his face.  
>"Spoiled?"<br>"If Maya would've just tried to get along with my mum, she wouldn't have been abused to begin with! But she goes up and stirs up trouble with her, then hides behind Mia when she gets bullied…!"  
>Dahlia just couldn't take it anymore and leapt up, shouting out all her emotion with tears running down her face.<br>"She doesn't even think about how badly Mia is getting hurt in her place!"  
>"So that's how you feel about Maya Fey…I won't look down on you for feeling that way, Miss Hawthorne."<br>Dahlia gasped and slapped a hand to her mouth.  
><em>Darn it! I'm Iris right now.<br>Iris is Maya's friend._  
>"Besides…Mia Fey thinks the same thing." Miles' face suddenly turned deadly serious, and the atmosphere got ever the more colder.<br>"Eh…?"  
>"Mia Fey opened up to me…She said it's agony having her rely on her as her big sister…but she knows it's a terrible sin to think that way."<br>_The Mia I know would never talk like that.  
>This boy…this Miles boy…got her true feelings out of her.<em>  
>"I'm jealous. So she trusts you enough to go to you for advice, Miles."<br>"It's not that. It's because I've experienced too."  
>"You've had to protect your siblings too, Miles?"<br>"No."  
>He suddenly stared at her with cold, blank eyes.<br>"I've heard the 'step – step'…always being followed by footsteps…having a presence standing at my pillow…looking down at me.."  
>"Miles…what are you talking about?"<br>Dahlia felt a chill brush down her spine like a cold fingertip and heard the rain around them come down heavier.  
>"Ahaha, you probably wouldn't have experienced it, Miss Hawthorne. Have you ever thought…that you wanted to leave Hinamizawa?"<br>"N-No…I like my hometown,"  
><em>My instincts are telling me…I'd better not lie to him. <em>  
>"Then you'll be alright. Ami Fey won't be angry with you."<br>_Hinamizawa's guardian deity, Ami Fey.  
>Ami Fey will not forgive any outside enemies who trample sacred Hinamizawa.<br>And any villagers who forsake Hinamizawa and try to leave will likewise not be forgiven.  
>The dismembered body, the priest dying, the curse went on for three years.<br>And when it was decided that I was to go to the academy, a small fear rose inside my heart.  
>I thought that if I was locked up in a school far away from Hinamizawa, I might meet with Ami Fey's curse.<br>But I'm okay. Strictly speaking, I'm in the neighbouring town.  
>But I broke out of school to come back.<em>  
>"I'm from Hinamizawa originally. Right before I started grade school, I moved to Ibaraki. I couldn't get used to my new environment. The voices in my heart kept calling out to me me…saying 'go back to Hinamizawa'…'go back to Hinamizawa'…"<br>Edgeworth looked up towards the grey sky, his eyes still blank and staring.  
>"But no matter how much a child cries and begs to back to his hometown, it never does any good. I was trapped between reality and the voice of Ami Fey. Then…"<br>It sounded like he was going to say something, but he stopped himself mid sentence and started another one.  
>"In the end, a lot happened and I was able to return to Hinamizawa."<br>He looked back to Dahlia.  
>"And then I was forgiven. I haven't sensed Ami Fey's presence since. But Mia Fey is under this curse while still living in Hinamizawa. That's because she…wants to run away somewhere and abandon Hinamizawa."<br>_Eh?  
>Mia is going to leave Hinamizawa…?<em>  
>"You mean Mia is going to run away from home?"<p>

Mia made her way slowly to her house in the rain under her umbrella. As she neared the house, she was suddenly aware of the noises coming from inside the room.  
>It sounded like crying.<br>"Mia…Mia…!"  
>"…! Maya!"<br>She threw open the door to reveal Maya lying on the floor crying with Morgan beating her with a ruler.  
>"A-Aunt Morgan! Stop, please!" She rushed forward to shield her sister from the Aunt's blows, receiving multiple hits herself.<br>"Shut up!" Mia was suddenly seized by the collar of her clothes and thrown back out into the rain. Morgan stepped on the umbrella and broke it in two.  
>"I'm teaching her some manners! I won't forgive you if you try and stop me!"<br>"Maya! Ma…!"  
>The door slammed shut once more, leaving Mia alone to be drenched in the cold rain.<p>

"Mia Fey is working frantically to buy her sister a birthday present. The stuffed animal Maya Fey wants costs a hundred thousand yen. But before she realised it, Mia Fey…started thinking she wanted to use that money to go far away."  
>Dahlia stared at Miles, trying to comprehend what he was saying.<br>"That's why Ami Fey didn't forgive her feelings."

A footstep.  
>A single footstep.<br>Mia sat up straight immediately, and looked frantically around her. But she could see nothing admist the downpour of heavy rain. She ran back to the door and slammed into it, trying to get in, trying to get to her sobbing sister.  
>She slumped down, with her back against the wall and tried to get under the little shelter the room above her provided. Suddenly, she saw the face of Morgan peering from the window, her eyes staring right down at her and snarling over and over.<br>"I won't forgive you. I won't forgive you. I won't forgive you."

_**Everything Mia Fey is experiencing at the current moment is an omen of Ami Fey's curse.  
>There's always someone following her…someone right behind her, watching. Eventually she'll start to hear footsteps almost matching her own, and one extra.<br>At night there will always be someone standing over her bed, looking down on her…**_

_I couldn't understand half of what that Miles boy said. The one thing I did understand…_

Was that Mia might leave!

"Hello, Iris!" Dahlia screamed into her phone, forgetting to make sure it was Iris at the other end.  
>Luckily, it was.<br>"Wh-what's wrong, Dahlia?"  
>"Please, Iris! Trade places with me for a day!"<br>"Eh?"  
>"I'm…I'm going to the Hinamizawa School!"<p>

Dahlia sat in the school clothes she had borrowed from Iris. She saw Mia attempting to concentrate on what was being said in class, and also little Maya, who was fighting to sit up.  
>Numerous bruises could be seen on the both of them, but mostly on Mia.<br>The bell rang as the signal for lunch, and Mia stood up with unexpected energy. She left the classroom in a hurry.  
>"M-Mia!" Dahlia followed after her.<br>"Mi…"  
>She was silenced immediately when Mia abruptly turned back to face her, a cold glare in her eyes.<br>Dahlia had never seen this side of Mia before. She was usually always so gentle and warm.  
>"What do you want?"<br>The words were more of a snarl than a query.  
>"Er…um…How are you doing…?" Dahlia struggled to compose herself.<br>"…I'm fine." Mia said forcefully.  
>"…Anything else?"<br>"Um…"  
>"If not, I'm leaving. I want to be alone."<br>"Oh, I get it. You're tired. It must be tough…having a job and all."  
>"Does it matter? Is that all you want?"<br>"Mia…"  
>"Then would you stop bugging me about everything?"<br>Mia glared at her with utmost hatred.  
>"It's annoying."<br>Dahlia felt as if she had been slapped hard in the face. It seemed the Mia she had grown to love had deserted her completely, and left behind an empty, cold shell.  
>"Why…? Mia…why? Before you were so…Why…?" She forced tears down her face, and cried like Iris would.<br>"Why do you have to hate me so much?"  
>Mia sighed and began to walk away.<br>"You should try asking your own conscience."  
>"My conscience? I don't understand! I don't understand, Mia!"<br>She was left all alone in the corridor, and fell to a heap on the floor.  
>"I don't understand…"<br>Suddenly, a cry was heard from the classroom. Dahlia ran inside to see Maya standing next to her fallen lunch box, sobbing her eyes out.  
>"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Help me, Sis…help me!"<br>_It's always Maya._  
>Without talking, Dahlia knelt down and began tucking the food back into the fallen lunchbox.<br>A few of the younger classmates helped and offered to share their lunches with Maya.  
>"I'm sorry…!"<p>

_**It's always Maya.**_

SIS…MIA….MI…!"  
>She was suddenly cut off when Dahlia slapped her on the cheek. Maya cowered in shock and stared at her. Dahlia then forcefully grabbed her by the collar.<br>"It's because you're like that. It's because you're like that…that Mia…!"  
>"Help me, SIS…SIS!"<br>Dahlia threw her to the ground and seized book after book from the nearby desks, throwing them at her in rage.  
>"If you want to cry, then CRY! But crying won't solve anything!"<br>"AHHH….WAHHHHH!"  
>"Why are you crying? Because you think if you cry someone will come save you?"<br>The other classmates shrank back in fear, unable to do anything to help Maya.  
>"You don't even think about how much you're hurting other people who are helping you, DO YOU? DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU DID WRONG? I WISH YOU WEREN'T HERE…"<br>Dahlia seized a chair and raised it over Maya's head.  
>"YOU SHOULD JUST DROP DEAD!"<br>One of the students, Ema Skye suddenly shielded Maya from Dahlia.  
>"Don't be mean to Maya, please, Iris. You should feel sorry for Maya. Don't be mean to her."<br>"SO SHE CAN GET AWAY WITH ANYTHING JUST BECAUSE PEOPLE SHOULD FEEL SORRY FOR HER? She's always taking advantage of Mia! That's why she has to endure so much pain! If you're going to get in my way, I'LL BREAK OPEN YOUR HEAD TOO!"  
>"MAYA!"<br>Dahlia froze, she recognised Mia's voice instantly and turned to her.  
>"Mi…"<br>She was suddenly pushed aside and shoved into the wall. When she came to, Maya was in Mia's arms, crying fitfully.  
>"Sis…S-Sis…I wasn't doing anything wrong…but Iris…Iris…"<br>"What's gotten into you, Iris? What did Maya do? What did WE do?"  
>She grabbed Dahlia by the collar and brought her face inches to hers.<br>"Why do we always have to be bullied?"  
>"…E-Earlier, you said I should asking my conscience, Mia. Then you should try asking Maya's conscience." Dahlia found strength in her words as she continued.<br>"You know the reason, don't you, Mia? You're suffering because Maya keeps clinging to you, isn't that right? If Maya could pull herself together she wouldn't be such a burden to you, she causing all of thi…!"  
>Dahlia was cut off when she was suddenly slammed hard into the classroom wall.<br>"DON'T TALK NONSENSE!" Mia yelled.  
>"You're spoiling her too much, Mia! She'll never stop clinging to you because you keep letting her!"<br>"What do you know about us?" Mia said the next words in a whisper.  
>There was silence in the classroom.<br>Dahlia realised with horror that Mia was crying.  
>"The whole town got together to harass us at some point and back us against a wall. So now YOU'RE picking on us? You'll go to any length to bully the members of the main family…"<br>"N-No…I didn't mean…" Dahlia struggled to find the words and felt her heart being torn apart watching Mia in tears.  
>"THAT'S HOW THE BRANCH FAMILY WORKS, ISN'T IT? IS IT THAT MUCH FUN? BULLYING FOR THE PURPOSE OF POWER?"<br>"STOP IT!" Miles Edgeworth's clear voice rang out suddenly and Mia was pulled away from Dahlia.  
>"Mia Fey, that's enough, stop. Iris didn't mean to do that. She was just worried about you and she didn't have a way to express her feelings."<br>Mia finally loosened her hold on Dahlia's clothes and let her hands drop to her side.  
>"And Iris Hawthorne,"<br>Dahlia flinched as he used her sister's full name.  
>"You know acting like this won't solve anything."<br>Miles then turned to Maya and his voice softened slightly.  
>"You too, Maya. Dropping your lunchbox is nothing to cry about, alright? Now, make up."<br>"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to." Mia got there first.  
>"Me too…I…" Dahlia didn't get to finish as Mia hurriedly led Maya out of the classroom.<br>_What…What is this?  
>What am I…doing? <em>

"Hic…Hic…I'm sorry…Iris."  
>The other end of the phone was silent as ever.<br>"Iris…why…Mia hates the branch family, doesn't she?"  
>"Yes, I think she does in a way…deep down in her heart, but she never shows it since she's such a kind person. It was the branch family who instigated the village to persecute the main family, to set an example and encourage everyone to be unified. It's understandable if she blames the branch family for driving them into their current situation."<br>"Then why! Why now! Why is she acting like this now!"  
>"The only thing that I can think of…is that Mia is so mature…So up until now, she treated you like everyone else, even though you're a member of the branch family. Because she's mature…"<br>_But now…she's so worn out mentally and physically that the hatred she holds at the bottom of her heart is gushing out?  
>In that case, she should have…she should have glared at me with rejection in her eyes from the time we first met!<br>Then I…wouldn't have grown to like her so much._  
>"Hey Iris…why did that hag say we should harass the main family? It's Mia's parents who are the heads, it's not like Mia had a choice in her position."<br>"Er…um…"  
><em>Even I have a vague understanding that it's not as if the branch family gave explicit orders to target certain members of the main family. It's just that Morgan thought that she didn't like them. Her concerns were understood to be her desires, and it was all carried out as a result, that's all.<em>  
>Dahlia clenched her free hand into a fist.<br>_But that hag should know perfectly well, how what she says will affect things!_  
>"Before you said that the priest wasn't being mature because he disturbed the peace, right? So is this the same thing? Certain members of the main family were immature because they objected when the whole village needed to be united! So they needed to be punished?" Then isn't it enough to punish the parents? Mia had nothing to do with it! WHAT DID MIA DO?"<p>

Dahlia took a few deep breaths to calm down, then suddenly, she heard the sound of coins being deposited from the other end of the phone.  
>"Iris…? You're not at the main house?"<br>"No…I'm calling you from a pay phone. So I have to get off soon. But there's one last thing that I have to tell you…I got a phone call from Mia."  
>Dahlia jerked up, alert once more.<br>"From M-Mia…? What did you say to her?"  
>"I think she meant to call <em>you<em>, not me. It seemed like she wanted to properly apologise for what happened in class the other day. So, I thought it would be better for you to take the call. I told Mia that I was busy at the moment and I'd call her right back. Then I hung up. So, Dahlia, call the number I'm about to give you."  
>"Thank you," Dahlia really was very grateful.<br>"I'll call her right away."  
>"Do that for her. Mia is really at the end of her rope these days. My voice won't reach her anymore. But your voice…might get through to her…"<br>"…Iris…"  
>Iris hung up and wept softly in the phone booth.<br>Dahlia sat there, stunned for a while, and her heart aching for her sister. She then returned to reality and dialed the number.  
>The phone rang twice before it was picked up, and a familiar voice spoke through it.<br>"Hello, main family shrine."  
>"M-Mia…?"<br>"Oh…sorry about earlier. Do you have time now?"  
>Dahlia sighed in relief and felt her heart unwind slightly.<br>_Oh, good. It's Mia… The old Mia._  
>"About the other day…I'm sorry."<br>"Ah! N-No, I should be the one…I'm sorry!" Dahlia burst out, unable to control herself.  
>"You don't have to apologise, Iris…something was wrong with me. I'll never forgive the people who put us through all of this…They might be very close to you, Iris. But…they definitely weren't you. So…I thought I should apologise to you, at least."<br>Dahlia closed her eyes, holding back tears of emotion.  
>"No…I'm sorry. I didn't try to understand you, Mia. I was so insensitive. Anyway, are you alright? You have so much to worry about already and now you're working to get a present for Maya."<br>"I quit my job already. I earned all the money I needed."  
>"Oh…then you don't have to push yourself anymore, that's good, isn't it?"<br>"Maya…has it worse than I do…"  
>"Things are really hard on Maya now, aren't they…? Is she okay?"<br>"Does she look like she's okay?"  
>Dahlia flinched, feeling incredibly stupid.<br>"I…I…I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"  
>"Maya…is about to snap, so…" It seemed hard for Mia to get the words out for some reason.<br>"So…I want to let her have fun for at least one night. You know…tomorrow's the Cotton Drifting Festival, right? I want you to take Maya to the festival."  
>Dahlia was confused.<br>"I don't mind, but why?"  
>"Maya is suffering a lot. If she could spread her wings someplace where our Aunt's not around…"<br>"Yeah, but why…?"  
>"Why what?"<br>"Why don't you take her to the festival yourself, Mia?"  
>"I…I have something to do…I have something to do that's kind of related to work… I just can't make it to the festival. So Iris, will you take care of Maya for me?"<br>"Yeah…okay."  
>Her voice was hesitant.<br>_Why did Mia sound so sad?_  
>"Good."<br>"But only for tomorrow night…okay?"  
>"Ahaha, if it were possible, I wish you'd take care of her not just tomorrow but forever."<br>_Why would Mia ask me to take care of Maya?  
>Why won't she take her to the festival?<br>The way Mia talks, it's like…  
>She's going away…<em>  
>"What are you saying? No way! Just tomorrow. Don't say stuff like that…"<br>"Hey Iris, I really don't want to tell you this because you'll think I'm sick or something but…"  
>"Eh…?"<br>"You…haha…you don't believe in it, do you?"  
>"Believe…in what?"<br>"Mm, you know. Ami Fey's Curse."  
>"Ahahaha…what are you talking about?"<br>"You know, they say Ami Fey will curse you if you try to run away and forsake the village."  
>"Don't tell me you're trying to run away and forsake the village?"<br>"I'm…not anymore. Not anymore."  
>"Then there's no problem, right?"<br>"But…I'm not forgiven yet."  
>"Mia…?"<br>"Iris, I'm going to ask you one more time. Do you think Ami Fey's Curse really exists?"  
><em>Just what is Mia hoping I'll say?<br>Never mind whether I believe it or not.  
>What do I have to do to put her heart at ease?<em>  
>"Ahahaha, of course there's no curse. Haha…"<br>"…Sorry for asking weird questions." Came the toneless reply.  
>"Ah! I'm sorry!"<br>"Whether it's a curse or a plot by someone in the village…huff…I will not disappear..I won't let them erase me…huff.."  
>"You won't disappear." Dahlia felt herself tearing up again.<br>"You won't disappear, Mia…"  
>"Take care of Maya for me…"<br>_I should have agreed…and put Mia's mind at ease.  
>But at that time…I still couldn't forgive Maya.<em>  
>"Sorry for asking weird favours…"<br>"Ah…!"  
><strong>Beep…Beep…Beep…<strong>

Mia entered Maya's room with a sigh and found her little sister curled up next to the curtain, apparently nearly asleep. She smiled as she spotted her and stood up and ran towards her, hugging her tightly. Mia hugged her lovingly back.  
>"I won't disappear. Not until I buy you that stuffed animal."<br>She looked out the window and at the luminous moon.  
>"I'll get my wages soon. Until that day…I will not disappear."<p>

_I know I'm coming to the realisation pretty late in the game, but I can't help thinking…  
>That everything about Ami Fey's Curse reflects the will of the branch family.<br>Someone will anticipate Morgan's concerns…  
>On the day of the Cotton Drifting…<br>Yes…  
>Tonight is the Cotton Drifting…<br>This year…  
>Today…<br>Will Ami Fey's Curse strike again?  
>If it is going to happen…<br>Who will it strike this year…?_

On this day…  
>The curtain fell on one tragedy.<br>And simultaneously…  
>The curtain rose…<br>On a long..long…cruel drama.

**Part II – Responsibility End**


	4. Part III Channeling the Demon

**Gyakuten Meakashi**

**The Eye Opening Turnabout**

**Part III – Channeling the Demon**

_Every year for the past three years of the cotton drifting in Hinamizawa Village, members of the main family have met with mysterious deaths.  
>And last night was the fourth year.<br>A shrine maiden working under Mia was beaten to death.  
>The source of Mia's agony still persists…<br>And I…_

"Do you think the police have any suspects in mind?" Dahlia listened intently to the phone, hoping Iris had thought this through.  
>"I don't know…looks like Detective Crescend thinks it was someone close to her."<br>"Does Mia have an alibi for the night of the festival?" Dahlia said immediately. She had to make sure Mia was safe.  
>"Eh…? I don't know…"<br>"Huh…'MIA WAS AT THE FESTIVAL'! Wouldn't that have been good enough?"  
>"Uh…yeah. You're right…I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking…"<br>_Stupid Iris!  
>She knows that they could easily suspect Mia, and she didn't even think of anything for her alibi?<em>  
>Dahlia clenched her teeth. Why couldn't she have been interrogated in Iris' place?<br>"So…so then…Did Mia really…?"  
>"This isn't about whether or not Mia killed her! What's important is whether she has an alibi!"<br>"T-The police came here earlier…I could call them up again and tell them that Mia was with me at the festival." Iris desperately tried to make amends.  
>"Iris…an obvious lie won't do anybody any good. If you haven't already taken everything into consideration, then it's useless to try any tricks now! Please just be as honest with them as you can!"<br>"I-I'm sorry…"  
><em>Honestly, I'm the one who wants to be depressed here!<em>

Dahlia was still mulling things over in her head on her way home from work.  
>If the police catch Mia…then everything she's been through will have been for nothing!<br>She looked up, and found one Mia Fey staring intently into the glass window of a toy store. Feeling overjoyed for finally seeing her again in person, she ran up to her.  
>"Mia!"<br>"Iris…" Mia turned and smiled wearily at her.  
>"What's the matter? Something good happen?"<br>"No, nothing good…The shrine maiden that works for me died…with everything going on…the police and the neighbourhood…it's quite a disaster." She said with a tired chuckle.  
>The smile that rose to Mia's face…it was the kind you make when you complete some major task.<br>_Oh.  
>That's, how I began to suspect. That she might be the one who killed the shrine maiden.<br>But what for?_  
>"Anyway, what are you doing here?"<br>Dahlia looked up and spotted a giant teddy bear smiling a cute grin out of the toy store window.  
>"Ah. Is this the toy you wanted to give to Maya?"<br>"I won't get my pay for a little while yet, so I'm worried that someone will buy it before I do."  
>"If you're so worried, you should just ask them to hold it for you."<br>"Ah, but…"  
>Dahlia grabbed Mia's hand and led her into the shop.<br>"Let's go reserve it right now! Um, excuse me!"  
>An old man was sitting behind the counter, his head nodded up and down, as if he were asleep. He was bald and his age was plain on his face.<br>"Excuse me," Dahlia repeated. "I would like to reserve that bear you have at the window!"  
>The old man just continued nodding. Dahlia was growing quite frustrated by the time another shopkeeper arrived from the back.<br>"My, my, a customer? I'm so sorry. My grandfather is so senile."  
>She took out a form and quickly wrote down the requirements.<br>"Here you are, it's reserved for you now, Miss Fey."  
>"Now you have nothing to worry about!" Dahlia smiled.<br>"U-Um, thank you very much!" Mia took the sheet of paper, blushing slightly.  
>"There, that was easy, wasn't it?" They walked out the shop together.<br>"No kidding. I should have reserved it sooner…eh?"  
>Dahlia turned to where Mia was staring at, and found a group of policemen headed their way. At the center of them all was Detective Daryan, though he looked more menacing than usual.<br>"Hello there, youngsters. I'm sorry to ruin the mood."  
><em>He must be the one that Iris was talking about.<br>The detective sniffing around the series of mysterious deaths.  
>Daryan Crescend of the Okinomiya Police.<em>  
>"Well, if it isn't Detective Crescend. Thank you for all your hard work." Dahlia said in a sickly sweet voice and nodded her head to acknowledge his presence.<br>"What brings four grown men to a toy store, I wonder?" She continued to joke.  
>Daryan ignored her.<br>"Miss Mia Fey."  
>Dahlia felt Mia shiver at the mentioning of her name.<br>"As a matter of fact, there are a few things we'd like to ask you."  
>"What is this, an interrogation? You don't have to go with them, Mia!" Dahlia began steering her friend away. But she remained rigidly in place.<br>"…Mia?"  
>"We won't take much of your time. Please don't be so nervous."<br>_Daryan…!  
>"Won't take much time"? Give me a break!<br>That jerk! He's going to arrest Mia!  
>Keep it together, Mia!<br>What did you endure all that suffering for?  
>Iris has already told the police exactly what happened that day!<br>And she was even stupidly honest enough to say that Mia doesn't have an alibi!_  
>"Now, Miss Mia Fey." The detective reached out a hand to grab her.<br>"WAIT!"  
>The group turned in surprise to stare at Dahlia.<br>_I can't, I can't…_  
>"You want to know Mia's alibi, right?"<br>_I can't let that filthy hand touch Mia!_  
>Dahlia grabbed her by the arm.<br>"Mia was with me on the night of the Cotton Drifting!"  
>"Oh?" Daryan scratched his head and took out a pen and pad.<br>"You yourself already told me that you were at the shrine until the end of the festival that evening, and I have testimony from many others who saw you there. But you didn't say a word about Mia before. Do you mean to tell me now that she was actually with you? I know that you were with other friends at the festival. I even saw you myself. And now you're going to tell me that she was with you? Iris Hawthorne?"  
>Dahlia was ready for this, she didn't even blink to the use of her sister's full name given at birth.<br>It was for Mia.  
>She had to do it.<br>"Well…I'm not Iris."  
>Most of the group gaped at her response. And looked from one another.<br>Then a snigger carried around the police.  
>Dahlia ignored this.<br>"So, I was never at the Cotton Drifting. I was with Mia the whole time, talking at a family restaurant."  
>"What are you saying? If you're not Iris, then who are you?" Daryan stared disbelievingly at her supposed act.<br>Dahlia grabbed the wig and tore it off her head. A gust of wind blew her real crimson hair out of her fierce eyes.  
>"Dahlia Hawthorne. Iris' twin sister."<br>There was silence for a several heartbeats, until Daryan broke it.  
>"This is the first I've heard anything about Iris having a twin sister. Are you trying to make fun of the grown ups?"<br>"I'm not making fun." Dahlia said confidently back.  
>"Please, check our family register, or anything you want."<br>She smiled and let the wig fall onto the floor, placing a hand on her hips.  
>"Or will you believe me if you see me and Iris together?"<br>There was murmuring amongst the police.  
>Daryan thought for a while and then sighed.<br>"Dahlia Hawthorne…?"  
>"Yes?"<br>"Would you mind coming with us to the precinct along with Miss Fey?"  
>Finally, getting the question she wanted, Dahlia smirked once more.<br>"I would love to."  
>The police began working away.<br>Dahlia quickly turned and whispered to Mia.  
>"Mia, whatever they ask you, just keep quiet."<br>"Eh…uh…?" Mia seemed completely dazed from the whole drama.  
>Dahlia waved her hand in front of her friend's face, and she finally responded.<br>"Understand? If you don't keep your head on now, you'll play right into the police's hands."  
>"R-Right. Yes."<br>"U-Um…are you mad?"  
>"Eh…? Mad about what?"<br>Dahlia forlornly picked up the discarded wig.  
>"That I lied to you."<br>To her surprise, Mia burst into laughter. The first time she laughed after so much time.  
>"I thought it weird sometimes what you said didn't really match up to Iris' personality…now it finally makes sense. *How do you write 'Dahlia'?"<br>"It's…after the flower, 'Dahlia'."  
>"Dahlia…it's a good name." And Mia smiled warmly at her. The same smile she had shown Dahlia when they first met.<br>"Alright you two. Sorry to interrupt but may I ask you to come with me to the precinct?" Daryan stood by the end of the road, waiting.  
><em>It's better this way.<em>  
>Dahlia told herself repeatedly, said it like a mantra. She took a deep breath and held Mia's hand in hers as she walked to the police car.<br>_Even if it means the main family will find me…I'm the only one who can help Mia._

*They are referring to the Chinese character or Japanese kanji for 'Dahlia' here.

"Stupid police, they didn't have to interrogate us separately."  
>Dahlia realised that Mia had already left and walked out onto the street, hoping she was okay.<br>Suddenly, a black car pulled up, and several agents came dashing out.  
>"Dahlia, you have been summoned by the head of the branch Fey family."<br>Dahlia refused to make eye contact with any of them, but obediently got into the car.  
>She was surprised when she found out they weren't driving her to the main house, but an old shrine nearby.<br>Iris was waiting for her at the door. Dahlia ran to her, relieved.  
>"Iris!"<br>But what greeted her was a cold stare which sent a chill through her whole body.  
><em>This isn't Iris.<em>  
>"It's been a long time, Dahlia…"<br>_She is in the middle of channeling a spirit._  
>"I thought I wouldn't see you until new year's."<br>_The spirit of the demon._  
>"I-It has been a long time, Iris. I'm doing very well…"<br>"The head of the family is furious." Iris' toneless voice continued.  
>Her eyes were empty.<br>"Come with me, everyone is waiting."  
>Dahlia glanced at the temple that she was being lead into.<br>"This is…"  
><em>I've heard rumours…they say that deep in the forest…<br>There's an underground torture chamber for tormenting souls to the death.  
>For anyone who opposes the branch family.<br>Is this the underground saiguden?  
>This place really exists?<em>  
>She entered and the door slammed shut behind her.<br>Dahlia saw all the higher ranked branch family members positioned around a reed mat, with her mother sitting at the very end. Their faces and stares of disapproval were illuminated with a ghostly complexion by candle light.  
><em><strong>If twin successors are born, strangle one before giving it its first cleaning.<strong>_  
><em>It can't be…<br>They're going to dispose of me?_  
>Dahlia willed herself to calm down and managed to bring herself to meet the eyes of Morgan Fey.<br>As soon as she did so, Morgan began to bellow.  
>"YOU STUPID IMBECILE. HOW DARE YOU SHOW YOUR FACE HERE. AND WITH THAT MIA OF ALL PEOPLE!"<br>"B-But…what she is has nothing to do with Mia…"  
>"SILENCE! EVERYONE IN THE MAIN FAMILY…SHARES THE SAME FILTHY BLOOD!"<br>"Wh-what are you saying… YOU HAG." Dahlia didn't care any more, she glowered at her mother in anger.  
>"WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT MIA? YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW HER, AND YOU TREAT HER LIKE A PEST. DOES IT BOTHER YOU THAT MUCH THAT A BRANCH MEMBER LIKE ME WAS WITH A MEMBER OF THE MAIN FAMILY? THAT'S RIDICULOUS!"<br>Her voice rang in the shrine, and she realised the truth.  
>"I get it. Iris tattled on me. Basically, you didn't like that I like her…"<br>To everyone's surprise, Dahlia threw back her head and laughed.  
>"It's true that I couldn't care less about being a branch family member! Or Mia being part of the main family! I don't give a damn about the branch family! That's right, I admit it! I like Mia Fey! She's my best friend! IS THAT SO WRONG?"<br>"That's enough, Dahlia." Iris' cold voice silenced her immediately, she felt her breath on the side of her neck.  
>"We understand your resolve. But now that you've said all that, no one can defend you anymore. You'll have to make restitution."<br>"Restitution? Why do I have to…!"  
>"This is Hinamizawa, and we are the branch family. Though technically the lowest ranking of the two families, we like to think ourselves as the more powerful. And you are the twin sister of Iris Hawthorne, the chosen branch family successor."<br>"Iris…"  
>She addressed her sister by name even though she knew she was talking to a spirit inhabiting her body.<br>_This isn't Iris._  
>"Ever since I came back, we could never agree when it came to that sort of thing. Hinamizawa, the branch family, those have nothing to do with me…"<br>"LISTEN TO ME."  
>Dahlia winced at the sound of Iris' voice being raised.<br>"How many people have helped you up to this point…so that you could live here?"  
>Dahlia stared at her, uncomprehendingly. Then, she suddenly realised what her sister…no, the demon, meant.<br>"Jake Marshall and Uncle Grossberg are in that room back there.  
><em>Jake!<br>Uncle Grossberg!_  
>"It's all well and good for you to be prepared for whatever may befall you, Dahlia…but have you ever thought of what would happen to the people who helped you?"<br>Dahlia fell to the floor, her heart twisted into a knot.  
>"Dahlia! Apologise to Mother! If you make restitution they won't do anything to anyone but you. You won't cause problems to anyone."<br>"But Iris…" Dahlia sounded weak and helpless for the first time in she was in the shrine.  
>"Did I say something wrong? Was what I did that bad?"<br>"Dahlia…don't you care if you cause problems for those two or for Mia, who didn't do anything wrong?"  
>"NO! MIA, NO! Jake and Uncle Grossberg too! None of them have anything to do with this! Forgive them…"<br>Dahlia grabbed Iris' shrine robe and tugged on it desperately.  
>"Forgive them…please…I'm sorry…I was wrong…great head of the branch family."<br>"Alright then, Dahlia…how do you plan on making restitution?"  
>"Restitution?"<br>A large, crude looking metal device was slammed onto the table in front of Dahlia, she stared at it in horror.  
>"What…what is this?"<br>"It's a tool for tearing off fingernails."  
>Dahlia stared at Iris.<br>_What…? What did she just say?_  
>"Each fingernail you pull off," Iris continued. "Will be restitution for each of them."<br>Morgan stood up once more and said quietly.  
>"Tear off three of your fingernails, Dahlia."<br>_Th-Three…  
>Jake…<br>Uncle Grossberg  
>and<br>Mia…_  
>"You'll really forgive the others? Promise me! If I tear off three of my fingernails, you'll forgive them! Promise me!"<br>"This is your restitution. It is not a negotiation. If you don't like it…"  
>"WAIT!...I'll do it…"<br>To Dahlia's absolute horror, Iris smiled.  
>"Do you know how to use this, sister?"<br>"N-No…of course not!"  
>"Strap your arm in and click your nail into place with that little lever in the device."<br>"R-Right…I'll d-do it…"  
>Dahlia panted, tears pouring down her face as she did as she was told. As she felt the cold metal sink into the bed of her nails, images of the three people whom had helped her flashed across her mind.<br>_Jake…the one who helped me escape the academy…  
>Uncle Grossberg…the one who gave me a job and helped me earn a living.<br>And…_  
>Mia's image was the most painful, and the most clear. She saw her smiling that warm smile of hers at Dahlia. Her look of hatred, and her look of helplessness.<br>The bruises…  
>The magatamas used in the training sessions…<br>And the smile once more.  
><em>It was my own selfishness that caused me to run away from school.<br>That has nothing to do with them.  
>It's because it's me…because I'm the next family head's sister.<br>They'll forgive them for three fingernails.  
>This is a great bargain…!<br>If it were them.  
>If it were any of the others…<em>  
>An image of Mia swam before her mind again.<br>_If it were Mia, I'm sure she'd do it!  
>To protect the people important to her!<br>If it were Mia…she would do it!_  
>And with that thought, Dahlia brought her free hand down upon the lever and felt a stab of intense pain.<br>"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"  
>She peeled open her eyes after regaining her breath and saw a bloody mess upon her finger and the detached fingernail lying close by.<br>_I…have to do this…  
>Three more times…?<em>  
>"I-Iris…can that be enough…?" She looked up, shivering with cold sweat, at her sister.<br>"This…really hurts…see? You can tell by the look on my face, can't you?"  
>"Dahlia…you can't take it anymore? Well then…" She began walking towards the door of the dungeon.<br>"WAIT! DON'T LAY A FINGER ON THEM! I can do it…I CAN DO IT! THIS IS A PIECE OF CAKE! This doesn't hurt! THIS DOESN'T HURT ONE BIT!"  
>She clicked the second nail into place and threw her hand down upon the lever once more.<br>"Nngh…!" She glanced at her next finger and realised that the nail had cracked, but it had not detached.  
><em>It didn't come off?<br>It hurts this much and it didn't come off?  
>I have to…<br>Do it over?_  
>"Dahlia!"<br>"NOOOO, NOOOO! IT HURTS…FORGIVE THEM…PLEASE…I'M SORRY, I'M SORRY!"  
>"Dahlia, it's only two more, you can do it!"<br>Dahlia ignored her, shaking her head furiously.  
>All of a sudden, a number of body guards grabbed her and threw a sack over her head.<br>Twice more, she felt the lever click and pull the remaining nails off.  
>Dahlia blacked out from the overwhelming pain.<p>

***  
><em>I…made restitution.<br>Jake and Uncle Grossberg were set free.  
>And I…was allowed to live in a quiet life in Okinomiya as Dahlia Hawthorne.<em>  
>Dahlia walked by the toy store and placed a bandaged hand on the glass window.<br>"The stuffed bear is gone. So you bought it, Mia."  
><em>Congratulations.<em>  
>A car pulled up next to her and she saw the face of Kristoph Gavin behind the window.<br>"Good afternoon, Iris! Did you dye your hair?"  
>"Oh, that's right. I can tell you now. I'm not actually Iris. I'm her twin sister, Dahlia. I'm sorry for lying to you all this time."<br>"Wh-what really? I didn't know Iris had a twin sister." The doctor was equally astounded as the rest were upon her revealing the truth.  
>"Hehe, my sentiments exactly."<br>Kristoph's expression grew stony.  
>"Crescend."<br>The detective ignored this.  
>"How are you doing, Miss Dahlia? It's alright, they'll heal nicely as long as they don't get infected."<br>_He knows about my fingernails?_  
>"Miss Dahlia Hawthorne…I'm sorry to do this to you again but…would you like to join me for some tea at the precinct?"<br>"What, are you going to ask me about Mia's alibi again?"  
>"You'll, see..."<br>They arrived at the police office sooner than she expected and were hastily seated in a questioning room.  
>"In answer to your question earlier, no, I'm not asking about Miss Fey's alibi on the night of the murder. I want to know her alibi for yesterday."<br>Dahlia scoffed at him.  
>"Hah? What does yesterday have to do with the shrine maiden's murder?"<br>"Well, you see. Miss Mia Fey went missing yesterday."  
>There was silence for several heartbeats. Dahlia stared at the detective in disbelief.<br>"You didn't know that Mia went missing?"  
>"What…What? Mia...is missing?" Dahlia began shaking with emotion.<br>"Yesterday, all of Mia's savings were withdrawn from her account at the post office."  
><em>Savings?<br>The money for Maya's stuffed animal…  
>I see…<br>So Mia went to buy the bear yesterday…_  
>"This is just my guess…but I wonder if she used that money to disappear to go somewhere far away…?" Daryan scratched his chin, looking thoughtful.<br>"Get away money? That's ridiculous!" Dahlia found herself shouting all of a sudden.  
>"She was saving that money to buy a stuffed bear for her sister's birthday!"<br>"It's true that the most expensive doll at the toy store in question has been sold. But there's no definitive proof that Mia was the one who bought it."  
>"You can just ask the salesclerk and…oh."<br>_Ah!  
>Oh no…that senile old man.<br>He might not even remember that he sold the toy, let alone that Mia was the one who bought it!_  
>"Anyway, Mia was the one who bought it! So she couldn't have used the money to run away!"<br>"All right…Let's say that Mia did buy the bear. So why didn't she take it home?"  
>Dahlia was stunned, and fell slowly to the floor.<br>_The bear was sold…because Mia bought it.  
>I have no doubt about that.<br>But in that case…there's no way she wouldn't have given it straight to Maya.  
>But Mia…didn't go home.<br>Mia is a possible suspect for killing the shrine maiden, though there's no evidence against her.  
>Did she run because the police suspected her?<br>Without giving Maya the toy she bought for her?  
>Impossible…<br>Impossible…  
><em>_**Impossible.**__  
>Mia cared deeply about Maya…<br>That's why she worked so desperately to buy that bear.  
>So why didn't she take it home…?<br>Impossible…  
>Impossible.<br>Why would she disappear before going home?  
>Impossible…<br>Impossible.  
>Mia… would never disappear of her own free will?<br>Disappear?  
>What does that mean…"Disappear"?<br>Does that mean Mia…_

_**Was erased…?**_

"Aha…ahahaha…AHAHAHAHHA…ERASED? THAT'S RIDICULOUS! YOU'RE LYING! AHAHAHAHAHAHHA…!"

**June 24, 1982: Mia Fey goes missing.  
>As Mia is a suspect for the murder that occurred on the 20th of the same month, police have assumed that she is on the run and are searching for her whereabouts.<br>There were early reports of a girl thought to be Miss Fey boarding a bullet train to Tokyo at Nagoya Station, but the report's validity is unknown.  
>Any subsequent actions are unknown.<br>At the present time, it is unknown whether she is still alive, much less where she is.**

"Miss Dahlia, please calm down. The reports are unconfirmed, but a girl matching Mia Fey's description was seen at Nagoya Station, acting as if she was running away from home. This is just my guess…but the branch family would never allow one of their daughters to be involved with a member of the main family. I suspect that the family coerced Mia into running away…on the condition they would take care of her sister, Maya." Daryan said carefully.  
>"Mia…is alive…So…she'll come back?" Dahlia hiccupped slightly and sat back onto her seat.<br>_Mia…!_

"Eh? What did you say?"  
>"They found the one who killed the shrine maiden. Apparently they brought in a man for questioning for a different case and he confessed to it as one of his prior offenses." Jake Marshall took out a knife and ran it across his chin to shave a bit off his emerging beard.<br>Dahlia stared at him.  
>"Who was the killer?"<br>"A psychopath trying to copy the series of mysterious deaths…that's the story I heard, bambina."  
><em>Psychopath?<br>So Mia had nothing to do with the murder?  
>Then…<br>Why did she go missing?_

**A certain day in June 1982  
>A few days after the cotton drifting festival, Mia Fey went missing.<br>The following records are some notes I took to organise my thoughts, as well as a way to write down my remorse.  
>If I fail and meet and Ami Fey's Curse, causing me to disappear, then I want you who are reading this to help me.<br>Help me, someone who is nothing more than a powerless little girl.**

"Detective Crescend, what on earth do you mean, you found the real killer?"  
>"We received a call from the prefectural police the other day. They said that a man that they had arrested and brought in for questioning confessed to killing the shrine maiden. It's really absurd. He was long dead…even before we got that call."<br>"Dead…?"  
>"He was in his cell when he swallowed a spoon and suffocated. They don't know if it was suicide or insanity…so they weren't able to investigate fully. I'm not convinced but it seems the higher ups had heard more than enough. So it looks like the shrine maiden murder case is closed."<br>Daryan walked over to the window and gazed out of it.  
>"Do you know what they say about Mia Fey's disappearance over in Hinamizawa? They say…she was 'abducted by demons'. This is the fourth year in a row for the series of mysterious deaths. It looks like this incident is going to be chalked up to Ami Fey's Curse again."<br>_Abducted by demons? Curse?  
>Don't write of Mia's disappearance…as something so unexplainable!<em>  
>Dahlia went to the library after that to collect her thoughts. She sat down at a desk with a pad and pen and began to write.<p>

**The series of mysterious deaths in Hinamizawa, also known as 'Ami Fey's Curse'… The first year was the dismemberment of the oldest member of the main family.  
>The second year was the accident that killed two main heads in the main family.<br>The third year was the sudden death of the priest and his wife's suicide by drowning.  
>The fourth year was the fatal beating of the shrine maiden.<br>And Mia's disappearance.  
>If you trace the line of resentment from the time of the incidents…<br>All of them are from the main family.  
>On the day of the festival of Ami Fey, the guardian deity of Hinamizawa, a select few members of the main family are cursed to die.<br>Yes, just like I was forced to make restitution to the branch family.  
>The incidents of the fourth year…at first they thought they had nothing to do with the series of deaths.<br>But if this case is a part of those incidents…then whether the murderer was some psychopath or someone else, the killer is nothing but the executioner for carrying out the fourth year's murder.  
>And behind him…is someone who gave him the idea of beating the shrine maiden to death.<br>That someone used others to carry out the fourth year's curse…  
>And then chose to erase them along with Mia…!<br>What are these incidents?  
>Who's doing this, and why?<br>How long are they going to keep it up?  
>What is their purpose?<br>Their goal?  
>And who are the murderers?<br>Who erased Mia?**

"Series of mysterious deaths in Hinamizawa…Ami Fey's Curse…"  
>Dahlia jumped at the unfamiliar voice behind her shoulder and turned to see who it was.<br>"I'm sorry. You're Iris' twin sister, Dahlia, right?" A women dressed in a brown shawl and smoking a pipe looked down upon her.  
>"I'm Dee, Dee Vasquez. I'm so happy…to meet a fellow researcher of Ami Fey's Curse."<br>Dee taught Dahlia many things.  
>Like how at the same time someone died every year on the night of cotton drifting, another one disappeared.<br>How the curse only began because Ami Fey's spirit was angry at the humans who opposed the village, and how every time the curse striked, it was necessary to offer up a sacrifice to calm the rage.  
>How the sacrificial ceremony consisted of drowning the victims in the bottomless onigafuchi swamp.<br>How it was all a repeated process someone had created as a system to kill bitter enemies.  
>Dahlia pointed out that all the victims of the curse were people from the main family, and that there definitely were not under the 'bitter enemy' category.<br>Dee Vasquez exhaled a puff of smoke from her pipe and leaned close to her.  
>"That's why I believe that it is not just a curse. And that someone is using this rumour as their advantage."<br>"Their…advantage?"  
>"Whoever's doing this has studied the ancient story of Ami Fey well and is doing everything according to legend. Dahlia, I'll make an exception and lend you my research notes. Since you're my fellow researcher."<br>She pulled out several scrapbooks from her handbag and gave them to Dahlia.

Dahlia returned home and placed them in front of her. After a while, she started reading them. They told of the legend of Ami Fey and the dark history of Hinamizawa, the legend that the blood of man-eating demons flowed in the villagers' veins and that the Cotton Drifting festival was originally a feast of human flesh.  
><em>If I read these notes, I might get closer to the truth…<em>  
>There was a sudden knock at the door. Dahlia looked at the wall clock and realised it was almost time for dinner. She hastily tucked the scrapbooks away and placed them underneath the bed.<br>Thinking it was Jake, she opened the door with a smile.  
>"Coming…Jake?"<br>To her surprise, it was Iris.  
>"Dahlia…it's me."<br>_**How do you plan on making restitution?**_ /b  
>"Um…I bought some cake."<br>_**Tear off three of our own fingernails.**_ /b  
>"Let's eat it together."<br>Dahlia hesitated, and then opened the door wider. She noted that this was the Iris she knew and loved, not the demon whom told her to make restitution. Though it was extremely difficult to let her come inside.  
>"I see you've settled in…How are you getting on?"<br>"Hmm, well, as expected, my new school is boring. I'm still going, but…" Dahlia forced a smile.  
>"Oh, if there's any furniture you need, just tell me!" Iris perked up.<br>"Hmm, I might be moving out soon, so no thank you. Dad says if I'm going to live in Okinomiya I should go live at home. He won't stop bugging me about it."  
>"Ah-ha, Dad missed you after you left, Dahlia. I think he'll be happy to have you back."<br>"Yeah…"  
>Dahlia looked at the genuine, angelic smile positioned on Iris' face and knew that the coldhearted next head of the branch family Iris and her twin Iris were different people.<br>_Even our bodies are exactly alike.  
>Except Iris has the demon tattoo on her back.<br>When she was given the tattoo…Iris' destiny as the next head of the family was sealed.  
>To be the head of the branch family is to have the demon living inside you.<br>That's why the demon Iris…is a different Iris to this one…_  
>"Dahlia…" Iris' voice brought her back to reality.<br>"Have your fingers healed?"  
>"The wounds have closed up pretty well. But they still look pretty deformed."<br>Iris stared with a mingle of sadness and fear at Dahlia's wounds.  
>"I'm sorry…" She finally said.<br>"You don't have to apologise. You didn't have a choice back then. You were channeling the demon after all. I don't hold it against you."  
>"I'm sorry." She repeated.<br>"Okay, with that apology we're even! If you apologise again, I won't forgive you!" Dahlia said teasingly, trying to lighten up the atmosphere.  
>"Y-You really forgive me? Even after what happened with Mia?"<br>Dahlia felt a sting of resentment on her chest.  
>"Of course I knew, that you liked Mia a lot."<br>"Ahahaha…I did make that passionate declaration in front of all those people."  
>"But Mother really does think you made your restitution."<br>"I'd be in trouble if she didn't…after all that pain."  
>"Still…I wonder…where Mia went."<p>

_Where…?_  
>And then all of Dahlia's sanity left her.<br>_**I suspect that the branch family coerced Mia Fey into running away.  
>Sacrificial victims are drowned in Onigafuchi swamp.<strong>_ /b  
><em>Iris…<br>What did you just say…?  
>You "wonder where Mia went," you say…?<em>  
>"Ah…! I'm sorry…!"<br>_If anyone should know…  
><em>_**It's YOU.**_ /b  
>Without thinking, Dahlia suddenly grabbed Iris by the throat and pinned her to the ground. The cup of tea she was holding fell to its side and stained the carpet. Dahlia glowered at her twin in hatred, tightening her hold more and more until Iris was gasping desperately for breath.<br>"YOU DEMONED HER AWAY…! THE BRANCH FAMILY!" Dahlia continued to strengthen her hold, aiming to suffocate her sister.  
>"GIVE HER BACK! GIVE MIA BACK!"<br>"I..d-don't know anything…really…" Iris wheezed.  
>"…About Mia…"<br>"YOU'RE LYING, YOU'RE LYING!"  
>Iris limply placed a hand on Dahlia's arm, and that's when she noticed it.<br>"Iris…your fingers."  
>They were scabbed and deformed, just like her's.<br>_She has the same scars I do. The same…restitution._  
>Dahlia loosened her hold ever so slightly so that Iris could speak properly.<br>"It would have been…too sad to make you…kkh…be the only one to tear her fingernails off. I knew that you liked Mia…I wanted you two to continue remaining friends and be together. Kkh…! I mean…it was always just you. I always felt so bad…We're twins. We're the same. So why were you the only one they discriminated against?"  
><em>Just like how much I liked Mia…<br>It wouldn't be strange if Iris liked her too.  
>And…this idiot…feels this stupid sense of duty toward me.<em>  
>Dahlia let go of Iris completely.<br>_You really are…stupid._  
>"I…I…yelled at Mother. I told her I wanted her to leave you and Mia alone, and she...nnh! She said she'd let it go if you made restitution. You did everything you could, Dahlia! So you two should have been able to live normal lives again! But..But…!"<br>Iris clung unto Dahlia and sobbed broken heartedly.  
>"But Mia disappeared!"<br>_Iris…she's not a good enough liar to fake tears.  
>Those tears are so clumsy.<em>  
>"Believe me, Dahlia. I really don't know why Mia disappeared. Mother…The branch family…none of them are involved, really…!"<br>"Iris…I'm sorry, did that hurt?"  
><em>It wasn't the branch family who hid Mia.<em>  
>"No, it doesn't hurt…"<br>_Iris said it wasn't them._  
>"You were hurting more than I was, Dahlia."<br>_So it definitely wasn't them…  
>I believe in Iris' tears.<em>  
>Dahlia brought Iris close to her and held her gently in a hug.<br>_**Then …do you honestly believe that Mia disappeared because of Ami Fey's Curse?**_ /i  
>Dahlia looked up, and saw the pale outline of a horned demon standing right behind Iris. It was a hallucination, she was sure. And she spoke the next few words by thought.<br>_I don't believe in the curse!  
>But it wasn't Iris! She didn't do it!<br>__**If it wasn't a curse…and it wasn't the branch family…  
>Then who…do you suggest abducted Mia?<strong>__  
>I don't know that! Anyway, it wasn't Iris!<br>Iris says it wasn't them, so it wasn't the branch family!  
><em>_**Foolish Dahlia.  
>So you say you'll pretend…<br>You don't hear Mia's plea for vengeance?**__  
>Mia isn't that kind of person!<br>I'll do something to help Mia.  
>If she's alive, I'll save her!<br>If she was killed, I'll avenge her somehow.  
>But it wasn't Iris!<br>You just want someone to take your anger out on.  
>I'm me!<br>Not a demon!  
>Get out of my heart, Demon! Never show yourself again!<em>

The hallucination tore up like fragile paper in the harsh wind and disappeared.

**Part III – Channeling the Demon End**


	5. Part IV I Won't Forgive You

**Gyakuten Meakashi**

**The Eye Opening Turnabout**

**Part IV – I Won't Forgive You**

"Dahlia…are you alright?"  
>She realised she had blacked out and was lying in Iris' arms.<br>She sat up to see Iris still crying.  
>"Yes…I'm okay now, Iris."<br>"I wonder why we're Iris and Dahlia. Why couldn't we be one person?"  
>"If you ask me, I don't care if I'm Iris or Dahlia. I want to be equals as twins."<br>Dahlia looked at her sister sadly.  
>"We can't help it. The demon lives on your back, Iris. You are destined to be the next head of the branch family."<br>"I don't want to!"  
>"Iris…"<br>She suddenly grabbed her shoulders and held her tightly.  
>"I don't want the demon! I'm not a demon! I'm not!"<br>Dahlia tried her best to calm Iris down, but it wouldn't work.  
><strong>"I want to be human like you, Dahlia!"<strong>  
><em>Iris is a demon.<br>Dahlia is a human.  
>We're each other's twins but we're kept apart.<br>Maybe humans and demons really can't live together?  
>No…They did.<br>People and demons lived together as friends.  
>And Ami Fey watched over them forever and ever.<br>Isn't that the Hinamizawa legend?_

And time passes.  
>The year is now 1983…<p>

"HEY, DAHLIA! Where did you go? DAHLIA!" A male booming voice sounded through the shrine.  
>"DAHLIA, I won't let you get away!"<br>She was overcome with a sense of deja vu as she lifted herself up over the brick wall and over it onto the street.  
>"Damn that teacher, calling home to tell them I cut class!" She put a good distance between her and the shrine before pacing the streets.<br>"I guess there's nothing for it but to go spend some time at my favourite hiding place…" And without looking, she accidentally knocked into a row of motorbikes parked just outside the convenient store she met Mia.  
>"THE HELL, DAMMIT? YOU LITTLE…!"<br>Dahlia turned and found herself face to face to some enraged street punks. Were these the people that Mia had warned her about?  
>"THE HELL YOU DOIN'? WE GONNA BURY YA'!"<br>_H-Huh…? This feeling…It's just like when I met Mia.  
>I was in trouble then too, though in a different scenario.<br>If…I don't do anything…will Mia come to rescue me…?  
>Yeah…right.<em>  
>"CUT IT OUT, YOU GUYS!"<br>_No way…Mia?_  
>Dahlia peered through the gap of bodies to see who her rescuer was. Her eyes found a young spiky haired boy around the same age as Miles.<br>_Who…?_  
>"THE HELL, HEY! Trying to look cool to impress the lady?"<br>"Err…N-No, she's on the verge of tears…so I was thinking maybe that was enough and you could let her off the hook…" All the courage seem to fade fast from the boy's outburst.  
>"AHH? You sayin' you'll make it up to us for her?"<br>"No…I don't have any money…"  
>"I see. Well, if you don't have cash. You got no choice. You'll just hafta pay with your body!"<br>"Ehhh?" Dahlia's jaw hit the concrete floor.  
>"This girl's got a nice mons venris, you know what I'm saying?"<br>"I bet it's even better with her clothes off, heheheheh…"  
>"Hey…you're joking, right?"<br>"We'll take everything off, from top to bottom. We'll even peel your socks off!"  
><em>I guess I have no choice.<em>  
>Dahlia reached behind her and fished out the taser she always hides amongst her clothes.<br>_Maximum output, don't hold it against me if you're electrocuted to death!_  
>"YOU…STUPID PUNKS!" The boy suddenly bellowed.<br>"You guys don't get it! YOU CAN TAKE HER CLOTHES OFF BUT NOT HER SOCKS. WHAT MAKES HOMOSAPIENS DIFFERENT FROM THE ANIMALS? THAT'S RIGHT, WE WEAR CLOTHES! IN OTHER WORDS, YOU'RE NOT HUMAN UNTIL YOU'VE GOT CLOTHES ON! BUT YOU GUYS ONLY HUNGER TO TAKE THEM ALL OFF! WHICH MAKES YOU LESS THAN HUMAN! I'M GOING TO REFORM YOU ALL! GRIT YOUR TEETH!"  
>This stunned the bikers so badly that they ran off with their bikes as fast as they could.<br>Dahlia's jaw sunk even deeper into the concrete floor.  
><em>What's with this guy…?<em>  
>"Whew…I never thought I'd master the family force field handed from my dad in a place like this…boy was that embarrassing."<br>_To think I even thought of a second that this was Mia…  
>"You okay, Iris?"<em>  
>"E-Eh…? Oh, yeah…"<br>"I was hoping to see what kind of finishing move you would pull out to settle those punks! You're usually so good at faking tears, aren't you? But I guess three against three guys, even you would have found it tough, huh? Well, I'll pretend you didn't lose to them…after all, you do look different with that wig on…so cheer up!"  
>And just like Mia, except more roughly, he pushed her head down and started ruffling her hair.<br>_It hurts…this doesn't feel good at all._  
>She told herself.<br>_But…it's kind of warm._

***  
>"And then, guess what Feenie did!" Iris was really excited, she could hardly sit still in her seat and the piece of cake on her fork nearly fell off.<br>_That was Phoenix Wright.  
>A transfer student who only just moved to Hinamizawa.<em>  
>"You've really taken a liking to 'Feenie', haven't you, Iris? Tell me straight, what do you like about him?"<br>"Hmm, I guess it'd have to be that he's so cute. Oh yeah! The other day at club!"  
><em>Phoenix…or 'Feenie' is the boy that Iris is interested in.<br>I'm sure I would like him too.  
>But in the end…I think Mia is a much more wonderful friend.<br>I wonder where Mia is and what she's doing right now.  
>But they've already closed the case of the shrine maiden's murder, saying some drugged up psychopath did it.<br>There's no reason for her to wait for anything to blow over.  
>No, No…! Don't finish that thought!<em>  
>"And then…Dahlia!"<br>"Eh…? Right, and then?"  
>"And then…the shopkeeper said 'Thanks for getting everyone excited today.' And gave out toys to everyone. Everyone but me."<br>_Ah, that's right.  
>The shopkeeper of that store knows Iris very well. So he must not have given her one because she usually gets special treatment.<em>  
>"I mean…I wanted one too. But I couldn't say that in front of everyone. Feenie knew that I was the only one who didn't get one. But he didn't give his to me… He said it suited Maya more and he didn't give it to me…"<br>A single tear travelled down Iris' cheek.  
>"I want to do it over from when I first met Feenie. I want to do it over so he'll like me better."<br>"You're too serious, Iris. If you want to start over, and he hasn't realised anything, then you're safe, right?"  
>"Can I do it over?"<br>"You totally can!" Dahlia consoled her.  
>"I am appalled at Feenie's lack of sensitivity, but it's the result of all your past actions. So start today and fix up your life, a little at a time. You're too nice! Maybe Feenie prefers a more hyper and assertive person."<br>"Yeah…I'll do my best."  
>"Show him how you're different in little ways! And let that Maya who he gave the doll to know what's what! There's a strong possibility that Maya currently has more points in Feenie's mind than you do!"<br>"Nngh…it's true. Though she's younger, Maya's much more closer to Feenie."  
>"If you have a rival, you can't be careless! Tears can draw a man to you, but they don't have the power to tie him down! Smile most of the time and cry when it counts! Hmm…maybe I'll practice on Feenie too!"<br>"E-Ehh? NO, you can't!" Iris jumped up frantically.  
>"Ahahaha, if you want, Iris. We can have a race to see who can attract Feenie first!" Dahlia continued teasingly.<br>"No, no! If you come to Hinamizawa, I'll kick you out!"  
><em>I'm happy for you, Iris.<br>Changing your approach because you realise the distance between yourself and a boy you like …  
>That's a valid concern for people our age. It's cute.<br>As for my own best friend…  
>She's gone…<br>I don't know…where she went…or when she's coming back._  
>Iris got up to leave as it was getting quite late. She waved at Dahlia from the door and Dahlia waved back.<br>_You and Phoenix can have fun together, Iris. And no one will try and stop you.  
>I'm not jealous…<em>  
>As soon as the door closed, Dahlia's cheerful expression began to dissolve rapidly.<br>_I don't envy you.  
>I don't want people to stop you, just because they stopped me…<br>Iris' head is full of Phoenix and all her friends now.  
>There's no room there…for Mia.<br>So…what about me?  
>Have I spent this whole year up until today…thinking about Mia?<br>I'm starting to get used to this life without Mia.  
>I'm starting to be less suspicious of my personal relationships that don't include her.<br>I'm starting to get used to my new relationships, which include Phoenix Wright.  
>Right after Mia disappeared…<br>I would try to get information out of the police.  
>And I did some investigating on Ami Fey's Curse and the village's dark past.<br>But…the more I investigated…  
>The less I felt like Mia was still alive…<br>I gave the scrapbook I borrowed back to Dee Vasquez.  
>Soon, it will be one year, since Mia disappeared.<br>It's taboo for the Hinamizawa villagers to talk about the chain of mysterious deaths known as Ami Fey's Curse.  
>So they pretend not to know about the shrine maiden's murder.<br>Or her disappearance.  
>It's as if they never happened.<br>Mia's existence…memories of her…thoughts of her…they're all trying to forget.  
>Mia was in Hinamizawa until just a year ago.<br>She went to school there.  
>She was very gifted in both school and spirit channeling.<br>There was something about her that made you feel safe when you were with her.  
>She was so pure and so warm.<br>And her existence…  
>Was erased by the curse.<br>It's starting to seem like she was never there to begin with.  
>And new people like Phoenix…hardly even know she existed.<br>They honestly think she transferred schools…_

_**I miss you, Mia!**__  
>I want to go shopping with you again.<br>I want to help you train your channeling techniques.  
>I want to tease you.<br>And I want you to pat my head.  
>And smile at me.<br>__**Mia…**_

"Honestly, Phoenix Wright. I am disgusted at your lewdness." Miles sighed.  
>Dahlia and Iris had both gotten a hold of one of Phoenix's arms and was trying to pull him towards them. The two were at opposite ends.<br>"He can't help it, sir. He's a boy." Maya stuck her tongue out and giggled.  
>"So am I…Hey! Miss Hawthornes, you're bothering Phoenix! Wright"<br>"You heard him, Iris, keep this up and you'll tear Feenie in half!"  
>"You could stop pulling, Dahlia! Go back to Okinomiya!"<br>"Roger that!" Dahlia suddenly let go, causing Phoenix to crash right into Iris.  
>"Well, I'm going back to Okinomiya! See you later, Feenie!"<br>"Ah, Dahlia! About today, um…thanks!" He rushed up to her and ruffled her hair once more.  
>Dahlia felt a sudden stab of pain in her heart.<br>"Ahahaha! Thanks, you too!" She rushed off.  
>"See you, Iris!"<br>"Don't come back, Dahlia!" Iris called back teasingly.  
>As she ran, tears fell from her eyes.<br>_I'm sorry, Mia!  
>I'm sorry…I'm sorry…I'm sorry!<em>  
>She crashed into a heap on the floor by the side of the deserted road.<br>_I haven't forgotten about you. I remember you!  
>If you don't come back…it's all over for me…<br>Life without you…Mia….  
>Is grey…and cold…and pointless.<br>It's true, with you gone. I can't smile happily.  
>You were the one person that accepted my existence.<br>You didn't see me as a copy of Iris.  
>You saw me as Dahlia.<br>I can't…  
><em>_**"See you later, Dahlia!"**_  
>She shook her head furiously at recalling the way Phoenix had rubbed her head.<br>_There wasn't any warmth there at all!  
>It didn't make me feel happy.<br>It was rough and painful…and that's al!  
>I hate insensitive guys like him!<br>He's so childish and immature!  
>He didn't make me feel happy!<em>

**I'm sorry, Dahlia.**  
>Why are you apologising, Mia?<br>I'm the one who should apologise…I said that I would wait for you forever…  
>I believed that my resolve would never be shaken…<br>But before I knew it…I had left myself wide open.  
>The Mia inside of me…is gradually slipping through…<br>The cracks all over my body…seeping through…and leaking out.  
>You keep disappearing from inside of me…<br>**Are you suffering…because I'm with you?**  
>Wh-Why would I? You're the only friend I have, Mia!<br>Don't say that I'm suffering because of you!  
><strong>I was always with you, Dahlia. But if I stay with you, in the end, my existence will hurt you.<strong>  
>You're lying! It's not true, it's not true!<br>You're not with me at all! Where are you?  
><strong>Which would you prefer, Dahlia? If my being with you will cheer you up even a little, then I'll stay by your side.<br>But if my being with you makes you suffer even a little, then I'll go away somewhere without a second thought.**  
>Don't talk like that. You're always too nice for your own good. I want you with me. I want to see you again!<br>**I'll try to stay with you…Dahlia.**

The sudden sound a truck speeding through the road woke Dahlia up from her daydream. She sighed at her foolishness, thinking that Mia had actually been talking to her.  
><em>I should hurry back to Okinomiya…<br>You're with me, right?  
>You're still with me, even now?<br>Mia…?_  
>Step.<br>Step.  
>Stop.<br>Step.  
><em>…?<br>One extra footstep.  
>I'm not the only one here…I sense someone…<br>There's no doubt about it…_  
>"Who's there…?"<br>A gush of wind suddenly blew her crimson red hair into her eyes.  
>"Mia…?"<br>_You're here! You're here with me!  
>I can't see you!<br>But you were always with me, weren't you?  
>Mia…!<em>

Later that night, as Dahlia lay on her bed, studying the ceiling, she began talking to Mia, as if she was right there with her.  
>"Mia. I never forgot about you. There are places I've been wanting to go with you when you came back. Things I wanted to do with you, food I wanted to eat with you. And…I'm so happy right now. So very happy. I doubt I've ever had a happy night as this one."<p>

_After that…my strange life with Mia began._

**I'll never get tired of my days with her.  
>I mean, she's so playful. She always matches her footsteps with mine.<br>But if I stop suddenly, she panics and walks one extra step.  
>It's just so adorable.<br>It pulls at my heartstrings.**

_I'm with Mia…so I'm okay.  
>Of course I can't tell Iris about this, and I can't tell anyone at school either.<br>But I can tell.  
>I can tell she'll stay with me forever.<br>So…  
>I'll be fine now.<em>

"Will you be going to the Cotton Drifting tonight, bambina?"  
>They were back at the house. Dahlia's father had let her stay with Detective Marshall for the time being.<br>"Yup! I plan on going and having whatever fun there is to have. Maybe I'll tease Iris and her merry men."  
><em>I'll go look around the festival with Mia.<br>Because Mia loves to see me having fun with everyone._  
>On her way there, she spotted them having an eating contest in front of the octopus ball stand.<br>"Hello, Phoenix, Iris, and everyone! Good evening!"  
>"Good evening, Dahlia!" Maya returned the cheerful greeting. No one else could since their mouths were all full and just smiled at her. Everyone but Iris.<br>"D-Dahlia? You're here again?"  
>"Ohh, Iris, don't be so mean to me."<br>"Right…Feenie?" She pressed her body close to his, appearing defenseless.  
>"You don't mind if I join you, do you?"<br>"Go away, Dahlia!" Iris abandoned her food and chased after her laughing sister.  
><em>Mia…I wish you could play with everyone too…<em>  
>And deep in thought, she didn't notice where she was going until she crashed into a familiar face.<br>"Ah! I'm sorry…Ms Vasquez!"  
>"Oh, Dahlia…"<br>"And…um…"  
>"I'm Will, Will Powers! This is the first time I've introduced myself, isn't it, Iris' twin sister?"<br>"You haven't been to the library. I wanted to talk to you more as my fellow researcher."  
>"Ahaha, maybe if I feel like it." Dahlia stuck out her tongue and scratched the floor with her toe nervously.<br>"Actually, we were just about to go into the saiguden."  
>"Eh? The saiguden… I heard only select members of the main family could go in there."<br>"If you want to join us, sneak away later." With that, Vasquez left with Will.  
><em>The saiguden…according to Ms Vasquez's theory, there's a mountain of torture devices inside…<br>If her theory is correct and the old customs of Onigafuchi Village are still around…  
>Then Mia would have been made into a sacrifice to calm Ami Fey's wrath.<br>I wanted to run away from the possibility that Mia had already been killed…  
>So I deliberately looked the other way.<br>It's been one year since Mia went missing…  
>To think I would be graced with the opportunity to go inside the saiguden on this night, one year later.<em>  
>Dahlia clenched her hands into fists, determined to seize the chance given to her by fate.<br>_I'm nervous._  
>She sees Phoenix jumping up and down behind a large crowd, trying to get a view of the ceremonial dance offering. She tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention.<br>_But if I have an accomplice…_

The floorboards creaked ominously as the three of them explored the saiguden.  
>"Be careful. It's dark." Vasquez lit an oil lamp and guided the two youngsters around. She shone the beam of light on a large statue.<br>"That's Hinamizawa's guardian deity. Ami Fey."  
>Dahlia felt bile rise in her throat.<br>_Ami Fey…if you're the one who erased Mia…  
>I won't forgive you.<br>I'll never forgive you._  
>She continued to pace around the room whilst Vasquez showed Phoenix her scrapbook collection.<br>_It's exactly like what I saw underground at the branch family estate.  
>The flowers are in good condition and so are the ornaments.<br>This handkerchief…based on the pattern, it must belong to Maya Fey.  
>No doubt about it.<br>The two families are still keeping the saiguden in good shape.  
>The cruel malice dwelling inside this saiguden...<br>Still has strong roots in Hinamizawa to this day.  
>Ami Fey is just a simple idol statue made of bronze or wood.<br>Someone is trying to make that idol greater than what it is.  
>Some human…?<em>  
>Then everything clicked into place inside Dahlia's mind.<br>_They are the real criminals behind the series of mysterious deaths in Hinamizawa!  
>The human who "demoned away" Mia isn't that far away.<em>  
><strong>Thump.<strong>  
>Dahlia turned around in surprise.<br>_Did Ms Vasquez drop her scrapbook or something?_  
>She saw the book still in Ms Vasquez's hands.<br>_It wasn't Ms Vasquez?_  
><strong>Thump, Thump.<strong>  
><em>It sounds like stomping footsteps…<br>Is that you, Mia?  
>Are you angry?<em>  
><strong>Thump…thump…THUMP!<strong>  
><em>Hey…you are Mia…right?<em>  
><strong>Silence.<strong>  
><em>You're…not Mia…?<em>  
>Seized with fear that she had angered some unknown spirit and that it was coming to get her, she ran to Phoenix and grabbed his shoulders from behind.<br>"Wh-what's wrong, Dahlia? Don't tell me you're scared?"  
>"Ahahaha…isn't it standard in haunted houses for a girl to cling to a boy? You know you like it." She teased.<br>"Now that I've told you all that, do you understand?" Dee continued as if she were never interrupted.  
>"These oddly shaped devices…"<br>**Thump.**  
>"Are tools for killing people…"<br>**Thump, Thump…**  
>"Dahlia, are you okay?" Phoenix noticed how much she was shivering.<br>"Yes, I'm fine…"  
><em>Don't they hear it?<em>  
><strong>Thump.<strong>  
>"Anyway, you look pale, Feenie."<br>**Thump.**  
><em>Don't let it bother you!<br>If you don't think about it. You won't hear it!  
>That's right, ignore it, ignore!<em>  
>"So…you're doing research to see if those customs are still around today, right, Ms Vasquez?"<br>"Look at this article. In fact, around the end of the Meiji era a body was found brutally murdered right here in Hinamizawa village, formerly known as Onigafuchi village. Such brutal inhumanity…"  
><strong>THUMP.<strong>  
>Hey…<br>**THUMP, THUMP.**  
>Are you sure you can't hear this?<br>**THUMP, THUMP, THUMP!**  
><em>Hey…guys?<em>

"Dahlia, wake up! You have school tomorrow, don't you?"  
>She opened her eyes to Iris' voice, and realized she had fallen asleep at the dinner table.<br>"Nnh…Tomorrow's the school's anniversary, so I don't have to go…" She mumbled and leaned against Iris.  
>"How many anniversaries does your school have every year? Oh well, Detective Marshall, we'll be keeping Dahlia tonight."<br>"Later, Jake…" Dahlia mumbled, managing a grin.  
>"Understood, please take good care of the filly."<br>The next time Dahlia woke was in her futon.  
>"…Iris?"<br>She discovered that the futon next to her was cold and unoccupied.  
><em>I don't sense that presence…<br>Here I finally managed to get my mind off of it at the banquet…_  
>Dahlia tiptoed out the room and down the corridor, looking for her sister.<br>"Iris…? Hey, Iris?"  
>She saw a dim light in the distance, and heard voices coming from it.<br>_Isn't that…that hag's room?_  
>"Those young'uns stuck their noses in a bit too far." Came the cruel voice of her mother.<br>"Yes well. They incurred Ami Fey's wrath, so it couldn't be helped."  
><em>Iris?<em>  
>No. This wasn't Iris.<br>She was again, channeling the demon.  
>"The police say they won't investigate. But can we be sure about that?"<br>"I think we can."  
>"Probably Vasquez and Powers."<br>_Ami Fey…  
>The police…<br>Vasquez and Powers…  
>And today's date…<em>  
>Dahlia clapped a hand over her mouth in horror.<br>_It happened a fifth year!  
>She just said…"They incurred Ami Fey's wrath, so it couldn't be helped,"<br>Ms Vasquez and Mr. Powers incurred Ami Fey's wrath?  
>How?<em>

They know!  
>So they'd know about Phoenix going with them…about me…?<p>

**Thump.**  
><em>I have to hide…it's here!<br>Mia…Is that you, Mia?_  
>She felt a sudden chill.<br>_No… you can't be Mia!  
>Mia would never give off such an overpowering sense of dread!<br>Then who are you…?  
>Who are you…?<br>__**Have you experienced it, Miss Fey?  
>Hearing the 'step-step'…always being followed by footsteps…<br>Having a presence standing at your bed at night…  
>Looking down at you…<strong>_/b  
>Dahlia felt a sudden tug of her collar and she was pulled into the side room.<br>_They're going to erase me…  
>I'm going to be erased.<br>Just like Mia._  
>She looked up to see her sister holding her collar.<br>Except it wasn't her sister.  
>It was a demon staring through the blank eyes of Iris Hawthorne.<br>_**Am I going to be "demoned away"? **_/b

***  
><em>We were always both Iris and Dahlia.<br>Happiness as Iris.  
>Sadness as Dahlia.<em>

A scene swam before her mind, it was back when she was young. Dahlia peered through the screen door to see Iris happily making sweet red bean buns with her mother. Morgan praised her and was gentle to her.  
>Dahlia walked off to cry under the big cherry blossom tree, knowing that she would be shunned away if she were in that position.<br>Iris heard her cries and came to her.  
>She gave her a custom made wig, one with braided black hair.<br>Dahlia thanked her happily, gave her a hug, and went back to the room to continue making the red bean buns.  
>Their mother didn't suspect a thing.<br>Iris watched happily as her sister dashed around, almost spilling the red beans everywhere.  
><em>We always shared everything.<br>Until that day._  
>Dahlia stared with horror at Iris who was looking down at her with empty eyes.<br>She jumped up in fright as the phone behind them suddenly rang.  
>Iris picked it up, and spoke into the mouthpiece in a voice quite unlike hers.<br>"…This is Iris. I see. I understand. Please take care of silencing all of them."  
><em>Silencing?<em>  
>"Were you listening?" Iris brought Dahlia closer to her by holding her by the throat.<br>"I…I don't know…ahaha…what do you mean?"  
>"It's exactly like you heard it. Powers and Vasquez met with Ami Fey's Curse."<br>"Ahaha…Ami Fey's Curse…what's that?"  
>"Powers clawed out his throat with his own hands and died. And I understand that Vasquez was stuffed into an oil drum and burned to death deep in the mountains. It is truly unfortunate."<br>"Wh-Why did they die like that, I wonder?" Dahlia managed, rummaging in her pockets with her free hand.  
>"You don't even know that?" Iris' face was centimeters away from her sister's.<br>"They incurred Ami Fey's wrath."  
><em>I can't believe it.<br>I know it's the forbidden saiguden and everything. But it's just a storehouse for torture devices, right?  
>All they did was a little sneaking around…and they were killed.<br>They killed them so brutally over that?  
>They probably can…<br>This is the same branch family that made me tear off my fingernails.  
>The same branch family…<br>__**That erased Mia!**_  
>ZAP!b  
>Iris' expression turned from cold to shock as she was tasered. The spirit of the demon left her and she fell to the floor, unconscious.<br>_Mia, I finally understand.  
>I finally know what I need to do.<br>I will destroy those who destroyed you…  
>Mia…<em>  
>"Iris…? Who was it?" Morgan's voice came from behind the screen door.<br>_I will avenge you._  
><strong>ZAP!<strong>  
>Morgan's body crumpled as well.<br>_I promise won't be killed like you were._

Iris awoke in the cold dungeon, dressed in nothing but a singlet and underwear. She saw her sister standing at the entrance.  
>"D-Dahlia…Wh-what do you think you're doing?"<br>"Good morning, Iris. You never thought you would be the one locked up, did you?"  
>"I order you as the acting head of the branch family, open this cell!"<br>"Ahahaha! Your tone isn't quite intimidating enough! The great head of the family has to say it with more arrogance!" Dahlia scoffed.  
>"Although, even if you could talk like that…right now, it would only make me laugh!"<br>Iris fell in a heap behind the metal bars and stared at Dahlia.  
>"So, Mr. Powers and Ms Vasquez were the year's victims. I never would have guessed. And stuffing Ms Vasquez in an oil drum and burning her to death, I'm impressed. How did you get Mr. Powers to tear out his own throat? Did you inject him with some weird drug to drive him crazy?"<br>Dahlia banged her foot against the metal doors, landing on Iris' curved hand and causing her to flinch in pain. She pressed hard against it.  
>"Now that I've come this far, there's no going back. It might be better for you not to get your hopes up…that I'll show you any mercy or hesitate to hurt you just because you're my sister."<br>When Iris stayed silent, with her teeth gritted in pain, Dahlia finally removed her foot and stood up straight, arms crossed in front of her.  
>"Now, I'm going to ask you. The series of mysterious deaths in Hinamizawa, known as Ami Fey's Curse…what does it all mean? Are you really settling all your grudges of the main family?"<br>"I…think that's probably right." Iris murmured.  
>"'You think'? That's not a very reliable answer. You don't know any of the details about it?"<br>"Even you should know, Dahlia. As next head of the family, I'm nothing more than Mother's successor. Morgan decides all the dangerous stuff on her own."  
>"But even if it's all that hag's decision, she goes through you to communicate, yes? You have to know something…"<br>"It's not like that! She doesn't go through me! I don't fully understand it either but I think that I'm inheriting all of the Yang aspects, and there's someone else inheriting the Yin."  
>"Who? Who's inheriting the Yin?"<br>"I don't know…I don't even have a guess…"  
>"Then let me ask you a different question." Dahlia turned away and began to pace before the cell.<br>"This year's victims, Mr. Powers and Ms Vasquez, have no direct connection to the main family. So why were they chosen?" She turned back to Iris.  
>"Was it because they snuck into the saiguden?"<br>"The saiguden? They defiled the saiguden?"  
>"Oh? I was sure you knew…"<br>Ah…she was in the middle of channeling when she was talking to that hag. So she was unconscious during that period of time…  
>"If they did that…that' s stupid. Of course they would…"<br>"Of course they would what? Of course they would be killed?"  
>Iris looked down, and stayed silent.<br>"Well even I know that the saiguden is a place you want to stay away from. But I don't think that it merited dying the way they did."  
>"You just don't know, Dahlia. We're just children. In our world, if you talk about a curse, we'll just think, 'oh, it's a superstition.' To the elderly in Hinamizawa, it's much more serious than just that."<br>"I see. But Iris, wasn't the curse's rule that if one person dies, one person must be sacrificed? The sacrifice's body is never found…"  
>Dahlia leaned closer to her helpless sister.<br>"But both bodies were found this year. What do you think about that?"  
><em>Iris doesn't know that Phoenix and I snuck into the saiguden.<em>  
>"It does…seem weird."<br>"Maybe they weren't supposed to find Vasquez's burned corpse. Maybe they actually wanted to look like Vasquez disappeared?"  
>"Or maybe…there were four people who snuck into the saiguden?"<br>Dahlia didn't answer and turned on the spot to leave.  
>Iris stared after her sister, shivering in the cold.<p>

"Yo, Queen of Hags, will you please open your eyes soon?" Dahlia removed the gag and pulled at her mother's hair.  
>"You're not trying to get through this by pretending you're asleep, are you?"<br>No response came from Morgan.  
>"Hmph," Dahlia grabbed a nearby container and flicked it.<br>"Can you see this? I don't know who left it…but it's a zippo lighter. I'm going to burn your nose off. You wouldn't like that, would you? I don't like it much either. So please stop pretending to be asleep and wake up."  
>When there was still no response, Dahlia held the lighter under Morgan's nose. It started burning, and still Morgan did not stir.<br>_No…she's dead?_  
>The stun gun fell to the floor with a clatter as Dahlia took a step back. She picked it up, and realised in her fury earlier on, she had set it to maximum output.<br>Iris had survived because her body was still young. But it seemed like it was too much for Morgan.  
>"Don't tell me…the stun gun killed her? But she hasn't made a single apology to Mia! <strong>I won't forgive her!<strong>"  
>She grabbed a nearby whip and cracked it across her mother's lifeless body countless times so that it ripped open wounds on her skin.<br>"Huff…huff...did you learn your lesson…you hag?"  
><strong>Thump.<strong>  
>Dahlia turned to the source of noise, this time she wasn't afraid.<br>"How long have you been there?" She asked the empty space.  
>"Are you the one? The thing they call Ami Fey?"<br>No answer came.  
>"YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING! SO YOU'RE AMI FEY, AND THE CURSE REALLY IS AMI FEY'S CURSE? WHO WOULD BELIEVE THAT?"<br>She continued to whip the corpse of her mother.  
>"THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS AMI FEY'S CURSE! IT WAS ALL DONE BY HUMANS TO LOOK LIKE A CURSE!"<p>

Iris covered her ears to the sound of heavy whipping that could be heard even from far away. She heard the creak of a wheelchair and saw her sister pushing her mother's limp form in it.  
>"Hey, Iris. A long time ago, one of our relatives told us, remember? They said that somewhere in this underground torture chamber, there's a hidden well with a secret passage that leads to the outside."<p>

"If you don't answer me, I might beat Mother even more."  
>"Back there…There's a cell in the darkness, see? In there…?" Iris pointed towards a low cave.<br>Dahlia walked across and opened the cell door. She spotted the seemingly bottomless well and walked to the edge of it. A cold blast of wind gushed as if to greet her.  
>"Have you gone to the bottom of the well, Iris?"<br>"Who would want to?"  
>"Ahaha, I agree. The well where they tossed the bodies of their torture victims…"<br>To Iris' absolute horror, she began wheeling the body of Morgan towards the edge.  
>"DAHLIA! You're going to push Mother down there?"<br>"I'm not 'pushing' her." Dahlia said with a scoff.  
>"I'm merely disposing her. She's already dead."<br>"…!" Iris started sobbing heavily.  
>"It wasn't my torturing that killed her, I think she died from the stun gun."<br>"Dahlia…why are you doing this…?"  
>She stopped.<br>"Well, why do you think?"  
>"…Mia…? Is this revenge?"<br>"Hey Iris…looking back on it now…I think I really did have plenty reason to kill that hag. Do you know why? It's not just that she's the one who killed Mia…IT'S BECAUSE SHE LIED!"  
>Dahlia rounded on her sister and let out the anger that had been bottled inside her all this time.<br>"You said it yourself! You said they'd forgive everything if I tore off my fingernails! So I did tear them off! Three of them! That was supposed to make restitution, right? But she didn't keep her promise!"  
>Dahlia slammed a fist onto Morgan's head.<br>"She erased Mia after all! Why? What does it mean? When it happened…remember what you said? You said that I made restitution for my relationship with Mia. And you also said…that the branch family didn't know anything about why Mia went missing."  
>"Y-Yes…I did say…"<br>"**It was a lie!** I think it's true that you didn't know anything…because I doubt that the hag ever trusted you in the true sense of the word. But I don't know if she really forgave Mia based on my restitution. And there's no way she would have opened up to naïve little Iris and told you the truth. The hag didn't keep her promise. She lied. She didn't forgive him…"  
>Dahlia began kicking and punching every part of Morgan she could find.<br>**"YOU LIAR, LIAR, LIAR! LIAR! GIVE MIA BACK…GIVE HER BAAAAAAACCK!"**  
>She heard the sound of whimpering and looked over at Iris' shivering form.<br>"…I scared you, didn't I? Sorry. Don't worry. If what you said is true, and you didn't know anything, then I won't torment you. But… **if you were lying too…Then I can't be held responsible for whatever may happen to you…I can't be held responsible…"**  
>And then the roles were reversed.<br>We were always both Dahlia and Iris.  
><em>Happiness as Dahlia.<br>Sadness as Iris._  
>Iris cried.<br>Dahlia laughed.

**Part IV – I Won't Forgive You End**


	6. Part V Revenge

**Gyakuten Meakashi**

**The Eye Opening Turnabout**

**Part V – Revenge**

Dahlia watched with no regret in her eyes full of hatred as her mother fell into the seemingly bottomless pit. She heard the unmistakable sound of flesh and metal from the wheelchair hitting stone at the end of the fall and turned away, exhaling as if she had just accomplished a major task.

_One year after Mia's disappearance…  
>I finally found the one responsible for her death.<em>

_But I still know nothing of the truth._

_Why?  
>Why was Mia erased?<br>And for what purpose?  
>Who is the one who actually erased her?<em>

_Mia's disappearance._

_June 24, 1982…_

_Before I let it out I was Dahlia…I spent time with Mia as Iris, but there were no repercussions._

_If there was a problem with a romance between a member of the branch family and their enemy the main family….then wouldn't have been strange at all for them to have tried to stop it sooner. _

_From inside Hinamizawa, it would have been extremely easy for the branch family to find out that Mia was with me…  
>And that's why they were suddenly unhappy with me being with her…<em>

Dahlia suddenly recalled the conversation she had had with Detective Daryan.

"_**And aren't you known for not knowing when to give in? What I mean is, even after the branch family threatened you to break off your relationship with Mia Fey and made you tear off your fingernails, you still didn't break it off, did you?"  
>"…"<strong>_

"_**They could have threatened you all they wanted, but it wouldn't have done any good. In that case…"  
>Daryan Crescend leaned ever so closer toward Dahlia.<strong>_

"_**They would have had no choice but to take care of the other half of the friendship, right?"**_

"_**T-Take care of? What do you mean? How?" Dahlia had burst out, afraid of what was to come.**_

"_**Calm down, Dahlia. We still don't know for sure that Mia was killed."**_

**We don't know that Mia was killed? What is he saying?**

**The underground torture chamber where I had to tear off my fingernails!  
>Then there are dungeon cells there…at least that's what the rumours say.<strong>

**And even farther back, there's a well for disposing of dead bodies!**

**If the branch family wanted to erase Mia in a safer, more sure way…**

**They obviously killed her in that torture chamber and tossed her body!**

"_**Miss Hawthorne, calm down. This is another guess of mine…But I think that Morgan Fey first suggested that they kill Mia Fey…and I suspect your sister, Iris, stopped her."**_

**Iris…?  
>It's true…that there's a strong chance Iris would have shown mercy.<strong>

"_**Most likely, the branch family contacted Mia. They said they couldn't fully protect her from the consequences of all this…and they coerced her into running away.**_

"_**Mia would have refused. There's no way she would have left her sister alone in Hinamizawa!"  
>"I agree. Iris Hawthorne found her the spare shrine where she trained at…and also found a job for her…so the branch family would have known that she had saved enough money to run away."<strong>_

"_**But Mia never would have used that money for anything except that teddy bear that Maya wanted."  
>"Indeed, Mia would have withdrawn that money and gone straight to the toy store without a second thought."<br>Daryan ran a hand through his jet black hair.  
>"But…what if…what if the bear was sold and wasn't there anymore. Then, you saids he wouldn't have been able to leave her sister in Hinamizawa. But what if the branch family promised to take care of her?"<br>**_**With the bear she meant to buy gone…all she has left is the crumpled up hundred thousand yen.  
>And the branch family tell her it's only a matter of time before the police get her and she needs to run far away.<strong>

**And…they tell her they'll take care of Maya.**

**Mia wouldn't be able to face Maya.  
>Apologising to her beloved sister over and over in her heart…<strong>

**She would make her way unsteadily to Okinomiya Station…**

**Believing that someday she would be able to return…**

**Then off to Nagoya…then to Tokyo…**

**In that case, she's still alive…**

**And if she's alive…we'll see each other again.**

"_**I think they probably would have prepared a hideout or some place that would take him in far away. Most likely, that' s where Mia Fey headed."  
>"Then she's okay? She'll come back someday, right?"<strong>_

**Back then, I still had no idea…of the great plot behind Mia's disappearance and that the village was wrapped up in it.**

**The killer's arrest.**

**A few weeks after Mia Fey's disappearance…**

**The man who killed the shrine maiden was arrested.**

**The murderer was a psychopath who was patterning his crimes after the series of mysterious deaths.**

"_**Yes, unfortunately…and we still haven't confirmed the information that claimed she boarded a bullet train to Tokyo." Daryan smoked his pipe and drew a long breath.  
>"You were so confident when you insisted that Mia was the killer. I was sure you would know where she is by now." Dahlia scoffed.<strong>_

"_**Na-ha-ha. I know. I couldn't be more pathetic." The detective raised his hands up in defeat.**_

"_**But my, you have sharp ears."  
>"Eh…?"<br>"This was a top secret investigation. I don't know who could have leaked the information."**_

"_**Well, I may be the forgotten dregs, but I'm still a Fey. I do manage to hear some rumours."  
>"Oh well. We're friends after all, we can tell each other about everything. Alright, I'll talk."<strong>_

"_**First, tell me who in the world the real killer was. I heard it was some psychopath. What does that mean?"  
>"What does that mean you ask…? That's what I'd like to know. I didn't think it could be anyone but Mia, as she was the closest person to the shrine maiden and had plenty of opportunity to carry out the beating." Daryan repositioned the pipe in his mouth.<strong>_

"_**We received a call from the prefectural police the other day. They said that a man they had arrested and brought in for questioning confessed to killing the shrine maiden."  
>"And who was he?"<strong>_

"_**Some drugged up buffoon. I understand that every time they turned him loose, he'd get into drugs, get arrested, and go through the whole thing all over again. He said that the series of mysterious deaths in Hinamizawa sounded interesting, so he decided he wanted to be the one to bring about the fourth year's curse…or something like that."  
>"And you're absolutely sure it was him?"<br>"I heard it all second hand. The deposition they got from him was packed with proverbial 'information only the murderer could have known.' He said that he threw the weapon into Oujigawa River. They're seeping the river now. If they find the weapon where the testimony says, then it will be perfect."**_

"_**Even if they don't find the weapon, it's pretty much settled?" Dahlia frowned, surprised how laid back the police had become.**_

"_**Pretty much. He accurately testified about the scene of the crime and the state of the victim, including details that only the killer could have known."**_

"_**You don't seem convinced." Dahlia pointed out.  
>"Actually, the buffoon was long dead even before we got the call."<br>"Dead?" Dahlia widened her eyes in surprise.**_

"_**He was in his cell when he swallowed a spoon and suffocated. They don't know if it was suicide or insanity…So they weren't able to investigate sufficiently. I'm not convinced but it seems the higher ups have heard more than enough. So it looks like the shrine maiden murder case is closed."**_

_**Daryan turned away from Dahlia.**_

"_**I still think that Mia Fey is the murderer. Unfortunately, when investigating the scene, we couldn't find a single clue to identify the culprit. After Mia disappeared, we got a warrant to search her home. We inspected the house but came up with nada."  
>"But you still suspect Mia of the murder?"<br>"Yes."  
>"How can you be so insistent on calling someone a killer when you don't have a shred of evidence? Is it your 'intuition' from so many years of experience?"<strong>_

"_**Yes, the instincts of a man who's earned his bread and butter this way for decades."**_

"…_**Where did Mia go?"  
>"I firmly believed that one of the reasons Mia went missing was because she killed the shrine maiden. If she isn't the killer, that reasoning falls apart."<strong>_

"_**The murder of the shrine maiden was a separate crime by the drug addict. It has nothing to do with Mia's disappearance. Mia disappeared because the branch family were trying to tear us apart. It was unrelated to the murder. What do you think of that theory?" Dahlia reasoned.**_

"_**Hmm. I don't think they would take the risk of making someone disappear over a little friendship affair with a bitter enemy. Do you know something about that, Miss Hawthorne?"**_

"_**If I did, I wouldn't be here."**_

"_**Na-ha-ha! Of course. Do you know what they say about Mia's disappearance over in Hinamizawa?"  
>'What?"<strong>_

"_**They say she was 'abducted by demons'."**_

"_**She was taken away to the land of demons at the bottom of Onigafuchi Swamp? That's absurd."**_

"_**In any case, that makes this the fourth year in the series of mysterious deaths. I think people are getting ahead of themselves, but they're already whispering about whether it will happen next year."**_

"_**So they're saying that the shrine maiden was killed because of Ami Fey's Curse?"**_

"_**The deceased is one of the main family. It's not as though she's unrelated to the victims of the curse so far."**_

_Until that day…I thought that the fourth year's incident was a tragic crime that Mia may have committed because she was under so much pressure she couldn't stop herself…and that it had nothing to do with the series of mysterious deaths before it._

_But…Mia and Ami Fey's Curse…_

_There was someone who mentioned both of those things…_

"_**Everything that Mia Fey is experiencing…is a sign of Ami Fey's Curse."**_

_I'm sure that's what Miles Edgeworth said.  
>That it was "Ami Fey's Curse".<em>

_Both the murdered shrine maiden and Mia…were from the main family._

_If the series of mysterious deaths is somebody's plot…then it already would have been decided they would be the fourth year's victims._

_So they used Mia's situation…to plant the idea of killing her shrine maiden in her head._

_And that someone…erased Mia._

_Miles Edgeworth's words tied Mia to the series of mysterious deaths.  
>Mia followed their scenario exactly. She killed the shrine maiden, was "abducted by demons," and disappeared.<em>

_Just as if she had been controlled by Ami Fey's Curse._

_Miles Edgeworth_

_I don't know this mysterious boy's identity. _

_The one thing I know for sure is that he has no relation to the three families._

_The Edgeworth family used to live in Hinamizawa._

_Before he started school, they moved to Ibaraki._

_They later returned to Hinamizawa._

_Miles says he was cursed by Ami Fey._

_He says that Ami Fey would always keep watch over him…and those footsteps would follow him everywhere._

_Apparently Mia also sensed…she was being followed by an unknowable something._

_What is Ami Fey's Curse? Why did Miles and Mia have the same experience?_

_It's probably…someone from the village keeping an eye on her, right?_

_I have no doubt that they would keep a close watch on the actions of each year's curse victims._

_And Mia and Miles who blindly believe in Ami Fey's Curse, would have felt that was Ami Fey's presence._

_It wouldn't be unreasonable for them, after feeling more and more persecuted, to think that they were having an abnormal experience._

_But…Why would Miles have been under surveillance._

_My theory is that the surveillance is to keep an eye on that year's victims._

_If that's true, then I don't know what significance there would be to Miles' having been watched._

_Why would they be watching a boy who lived not in Hinamizawa, but somewhere far away?_

_If they saw him as someone who abandoned the village, then it would make sense for him to be cursed._

_But in the end, he wasn't sacrificed.  
>Maybe he was pardoned because his family decided to move back to Hinamizawa.<em>

_While Miles blindly believes in Ami Fey's Curse…there's someone else with a different idea._

_Dee Vasquez_

_Unlike Miles…she thought that the series of mysterious deaths in Hinamizawa was caused by people._

"_**Each case seems like a unique incident, but they were clearly carried out based on one single will. Every year, one person dies by the curse, and one is offered as a sacrifice and disappears. The victims of the mysterious deaths always come in twos. You realise what that means, don't you?**_

**In the first and second years, heads of the main family died. That was just one for the first year and two for the second.**

**In the third year, it was the priest, and if his wife's suicide was part of the plot, that would be two…**

**And the fourth year, the shrine maiden working under Mia died, and Mia disappeared. Two victims.**

**It's true. Except for the first year, it's always an even number. Two people.**

**No, wait. The ringleader of the first year's murder is still missing, that means…**

**It's possible he was "abducted by demons" and erased like Mia!**

"_**Ami Fey's Curse is Ami Fey's wrath. Ami Fey was angered, so the curse comes as punishment. And we mustn't ignore the curse. Because that will bring about a much, much greater curse."**_

**For generations, every time Ami Fey's Curse struck, the leaders of the main family of priests and priestesses needed to offer a sacrifice to calm Ami Fey's wrath.**

"_**So…every year on the night of the Cotton Drifting, one person dies by Ami Fey's Curse…and they kill one more person to appease the curse? I never heard that anyone was offered as a sacrifice."**_

"_**Of course, the bodies would never be found. The sacrificial ceremony consists of drowning the victims in Onigafuchi Swamp. A bottomless swamp, of which it is said that once someone has sunken into it, he or she will never return to the surface. A dead body would never resurface."**_

"_**So the people who disappeared are at the bottom of the swamp?**_

**Even Mia…?**

"_**Well, I don't know if they really are drowned in the swamp…but I'm certain that whoever's behind it is aware of that practice and erases someone. Yes in other words, the series of mysterious deaths in Hinamizawa comes in sets – the curse and the sacrifice. By repeating the process every year, they've created a system for killing their bitter enemies, the members of the main family.**_

**The scrapbook Ms Vasquez lent me…had all kinds of quotes and copies of texts.**

**It went beyond some paranoiac's notebook.**

**She perceived Ami Fey's Curse as an extension of the old religious ceremonies. **

**In other words, crimes by fanatical Ami Fey worshippers.**

**There is a faction in Hinamizawa that centers around those religious beliefs.**

**And the two families are set up at its core.**

**And Ms Vasqeuz believed that they are working in the shadows to take back Onigafuchi's pride as immortals, a status lost after the Meiji Era.  
>Were Mia and the ringleaders of the killers…used by the families…to commit murder…and then erased by being "abducted by demons"?<strong>

_And one year later, on the day of the Cotton Drifiting…_

_Ms Vasquez…proved her theory correct at the expense of her own life._

_Ms Vasquez and Mr Powers snuck into the forbidden saiguden, Ami Fey's Curse has already befallen them._

_There's a strong possibility that there will be an order to "demon away" Phoenix and I, who snuck in with them._

_But…I won't let them get me._

_Not until I find out the truth about Mia!_

Dahlia walked by the shrine where Mia used to train, and swore she saw the outline of her beloved friend in her usual crouched position, muttering enchantments to call forth a spirit.

_Mia…you've come back…_

The outline looked up and gave her the smile she had longed to see for so long.

_Mia…_

The outline began fading rapidly until nothing was left.

_Ngh…Mia…._

"Mia…hic…hic…"

Once she reached the main family shrine, the place she was staying at temporarily, she realised that she was the only one there and that the phone was ringing. Dahlia rushed to it to answer it.

"Hello, main family shrine."

"I'm so sorry to call you this early in the morning. This is Hammond."

_Uncle Hammond?  
><em>"Iris…is your mother still asleep?"

_I have to act like Iris._

"Yes. It seems last night was quite hard on her. I would like to let her sleep for a bit longer." Dahlia managed to mimic her sister's polite and quiet tone despite the churning feeling of hatred being stirred up within her.

"Hmm, then might I ask you to take a message to her bedside?"

"Yes. What shall I tell her?"

"Yes, well, we've decided to hold an urgent board meeting in regards to 'yesterday's incident'. So will you tell her that we would like to get together at the shrine's meeting hall at five this evening?"

"…I understand. I'll tell her."

Dahlia hung up after thanking Hammond and was just about to walk into her room to consider how she would disguise herself when the phone rang once more.

"Hello, main family shrine."

"I am terribly sorry to bother you so early in the morning. This is Marshall. Is this Iris? Good morning, miss."

"Detective Marshall…good morning."

"Is Dahlia still with you?"

_I can tell him I'm not here._

_Or I can play both parts myself._

"Dahlia was just washing her face. I'll go get her."

She lowered the phone onto the table. Took a deep breath and then called cheerfully into the mouthpiece.

"Good morning, Jake!"

"Good morning, bambina. Will you be going to school today?"

"Of course not. I'm exhausted."

"I thought that might be the case. So do you have a way of getting back to Okinomiya?"

"Hmm, I think I'll have Uncle Hammond or someone take me home. Anyway, Jake, have you heard?"

"Heard what?"

"About yesterday…"

"A little…It's a terrible thing to happen to any filly."

"Do you know why last night's victims met with Ami Fey's Curse, Jake?"

"…No."

"According to something I happened to hear yesterday…they snuck into the saiguden in the middle of the Cotton Drifting Festival."

"They would be chosen as this year's victims just for sneaking into the saiguden? That seems a little farfetched."

_That's…the answer I was hoping for._

_Jake…_

"I see…that was foolish."

"Nn…Ah-ha-ha…well Ms Vasquez and Mr Powers were outsiders who didn't really understand…"

_Not you too, Jake…_

_He readily accepted the equation._

_That trespassing in the saiguden equals becoming the fifth year's victims._

"And hey, Jake…actually I did too."

"You went inside the saiguden?"

"Yes…Ms Vasquez asked me if I'd like to join them…and that Phoenix boy who moved here recently came too. There were four of us."

"Oh. Dahlia, after everything that happened last year…how do you plan on making restitution this time?"

Dahlia felt a chill creep down her entire body.

"H-Hey, even I had some idea that that place was trouble! But c'mon! Is it really that bad?"

"Dahlia, you are technically related to the Fey family. Do you still think that excuse will work?"

"But I was in Okinomiya the whole time! Ever since the hag decided she doesn't like me, I've hardly come near Hinamizawa at all! And on top of that, I was locked up at the academy! How am I supposed to know about that stuff?"

Jake sighed on the other end of the phone.

"Dahlia…I'd like to think I'm on your side. I want to believe in you the best I can. But some things have consequences even I can't protect you from. First of all, Dahlia-,"

"Ah-ha-ha! I'm sorry, Iris is here so I'm hanging up now!"

She slammed the phone back into its receiver and stood there, panting.

_I didn't want to hear it._

_Jake had always been on my side, no matter what._

_I didn't want to hear him reject me._

"Hahaha…oh man…"

She went to the restroom to wash her face.

_Calm down…Why are you panicking now?_

_You've already killed the hag.  
>You've already started down this path. There's no going back.<em>

_Now that I've killed my mother…they can't punish me with anything but death._

_My destiny will be over before long._

She filled a glass with ice-cold water and drank it all at once.

_In that case…I won't die so easily…_

_I'll struggle, and struggle, and struggle some more._

She held the glass in front of her and dropped it, watching it shatter.

_That's right._

_Once again…_

_I will make restitution._

_I can cover up my mother's death for a little while._

_I can tell everyone she's bedridden after pushing herself too hard at the Cotton Drifting. That should be enough._

_And I can hide that Iris is gone by becoming Iris herself._

_If I become Iris. Then Dahlia will disappear._

_I just told Jake that Dahlia went into the saiguden, so everyone will think she was "abducted by demons" because of Ami Fey's Curse._

_In that case, all that' s left is the last of the four who snuck into the saiguden._

_Phoenix Wright_

Dahlia dressed into Iris' school uniform and placed on the black wig. She grabbed her schoolbag and set off down the road.

"Oh, good morning, Iris."

He and Miles were waiting for her at the fork of the road. Dahlia recalled Iris telling her that they would always wait there for her and walk to school together.

_The enemy will focus their attacks on the last one, Phoenix Wright._

_Iris was talking about how she is just the successor and all the dicey stuff might be going through someone else.  
>That new person, 'X', who will inherit that mask of shadows.<em>

_Is that the person administering Ami Fey's Curse in the true sense?_

_If the hag is concerned about something, then 'X' anticipates her will and acts directly or indirectly to carry it out._

_Or do the hag and 'X' decide after consulting each other? _

_If 'X' does exist, he or she must be someone who is positioned deeper in the village's mysteries than the next head of the family._

'_X' must be tightlipped and cruel…and have a lot of contact with the hag._

_When I think of Mr Powers' bizarre death…I think of strange drugs and people related to medical institutions…_

_The head of Gavin Clinic…Kristoph Gavin?_

_Mr Gavin runs that fine clinic in this tiny village. He's a local celebrity._

_There's nothing as scary as a homicidal doctor._

_If Mr Gavin is the one carryone out the curse, that might explain almost all of the suspicious causes of deaths._

_But there's almost no chance that he is 'X'._

_The hag hates young people like him. She wouldn't have trusted him._

_Mr Gavin may be a celebrity, but he's still an outsider._

_I doubt my mother would have opened up to him about the village's underside._

_If I know the hag well, then everyone involved in the dark side would be someone she could trust._

_The first people I think of are the heads of the branch family._

_I believe that it would be Uncle Hammond, one of the higher ups in the branch family._

_He's close to her in age, and he's the one person who can speak his mind to empress the branch family._

_And Uncle Hammond starts visiting the branch family frequently when it gets close to Cotton Drifting season, ostensibly for management meetings._

_It's easy to think the two of them would talk in secret._

_The enforcer of Ami Fey's Curse…_

_I have to do whatever it takes to catch them red-handed when they go after Phoenix!_

_I have to watch over Phoenix very closely._

"Um…Ms Skye…I'm not feeling very well. May I go home early?" Dahlia put her hand up after seeing Phoenix leaving to go wash his face in the outside sink.

Lana Skye nods understandingly.

"You were involved with organising the festival, weren't you? Of course you may have the rest of the day off, Iris."

"Thank you." Dahlia bowed and seized her bag, making a hasty retreat after Phoenix.

_The investigations of the cases relating to the curse are top secret, so Phoenix probably doesn't know anything. _

_If I tell him the position he's in, he should start being more careful too._

_Then it will be easier to sense when the danger is closing in on him._

"Hey, Feenie." Dahlia mimicked Iris' gentle, caring voice, and Phoenix turned around with his face still dripping.

"I knew you'd choose the outside faucet, Feenie. Hee hee, it does feel better being outside after all."  
>"Hi Iris, you here to wash your face as well?"<p>

"Tee hee, I'm going home early, actually. My head is throbbing and Ms Skye gave me the okay."

"You serious? Oh, you're right. You are a little warm" He placed a hand on her forehead, causing her to jump up in surprise.

"A-Actually, at the party after the festival, I had a little…" she imitated herself holding a bottle and chugging down.

"You have a hangover? Now you're making me really worried, Iris! Well then, take care walking home."  
>"Of course…ah, oh yeah. I kind of wanted to ask you something."<br>"Yeah, what?"

"Last night, on the night of the Cotton Drifting…you didn't see Mr Powers and Ms Vasquez, did you?"

She noticed Phoenix clam up all of a sudden.

"I-I don't know…? Did I? Maybe I did, maybe I didn't…I can't really remember…sorry."

_iHmm, it looks like he feels at least a little guilty about yesterday._

_But he couldn't be any worse at lying or acting._

_I wonder how Mia would have been…_

_I bet she would have pulled off a much better act._

"Then I have one more question…about last night again. You didn't see Dahlia, did you?"

Phoenix couldn't even hide himself wincing that time.

"You…asked me that last night…didn't you?" He began nervously.

_Eh? Iris asked that yesterday?/i_

"I told you. I don't know if I saw her or not…" Phoenix continued.

_Does that mean she confronted him after we left the saiguden?_

_Iris…when I asked, you said you didn't know we had been in the saiguden./i_

"**I thought that if I asked you again, I might get a different answer."** She said in a low hiss, causing Phoenix to stare at her in fright.

"Why?" He cried out suddenly.

"Why do you care so much about whether or not I saw her?"

"No big reason. There are people saying bad things about Mr Powers, Ms Vasquez, Dahlia, and you, Feenie…But I don't believe you would do anything wrong." She leaned in close and breathed down his neck.

Dahlia then began walking off.

"I'll go and tell everyone that you did nothing wrong, Feenie. Don't you worry. I'll be sure to tell everyone just that."

Phoenix turned to her retrieving back, sweating furiously.

"'E-Everyone'…? Who's 'everyone'?"

Dahlia stopped before the main gate into the shrine as she spotted someone waiting outside it.

_That's the maid…Bikini, isn't it?_

"Oh, my dear Iris, thank goodness…I didn't know what to do." The short and rather rotund figure of Bikini turned around with an anxious smile on her face.

"Miss Bikini," Dahlia bowed to her.  
>"Is something the matter?"<p>

"The gate is locked so I can't get in." She appeared very flustered.

"And when I call, no one picks up."

"It must be my mother. Apparently something happened at the Cotton Drifting Festival that she wasn't too happy about, and she's in a bad mood." Dahlia consoled her.

"We'll call you when she's feeling better, so would you tell all the other servants that they don't have to come in until then?"

"Oh…oh really? Alright, I'll think of this as a vacation then!" Bikini smiled warmly at Dahlia and hurried off after thanking her.

Dahlia waved goodbye and then entered the house. She set the alarm clock and then changed into her sleeping gown and crawled into the futon.

_I have to reenergise as much as I can._

_This evening, they're going to have a board meeting at the shrine meeting hall._

_I'll attend in that hag's place._

_I have to call Phoenix before that._

_I shook up his trust and instilled a palpable sense of danger in him during our last conversation._

_This time I'll contact him as Dahlia and suggest that we put up a united front._

_The evil that is after him is the one behind the series of mysterious deaths in Hinamizawa…_

_Mia's killer!_

_The enemy I could not find, no matter where I looked…is about to come out of hiding._

_I won't let him get away from me…I will expose him!_

"Hello, Feenie? This is Dahlia, do you have time right now?"

"Sorry. My parents are kind of waiting for a call. I can't talk long." Came Phoenix's hesitant voice.

"There's something I wanted to talk to you about, but if you can't stay on the phone, then I guess we'll have to hang up. Let's meet somewhere and talk."

They arranged to meet up at the Shishibone Public Library, and Phoenix arrived right on time.

"Feenie!" Dahlia waved, dressed back in her usual clothes.

_Almost no one uses this library, so it's perfect for when I want to be alone._

_I often came here to think right after Mia disappeared last year._

_Ms Vasquez taught me Hinamizawa's history here a year ago._

_And now I am going to pass it on to Phoenix._

_Is this God's way of being ironic?_

After they had settled down, Dahlia began teaching Phoenix the history of the village.

"The Fey family has always been an old Hinamizawa family. But we had a lot of successful enterprises after the war, and our influence grew enormously. We all help each other as relatives and back up each other's undertakings. Even in Okinomiya, there are a lot of businesses run by the Feys."

_Phoenix grew up in the city._

_So he might not understand that old families have entire regions under their thumb._

_If I don't let him know just how powerful the will of the branch family is…he probably won't be able to understand what kind of danger he's in._

"We're especially strong in finance and real estate. There are also Feys on the city council and the prefectural assembly."  
>"W-wait a minute!" Phoenix jumped up.<p>

"Are you saying that around here, the main and branch families…are really influential?"

Dahlia smirked inwardly.

_I think I'm getting to where I can explain what kind of a person Iris Hawthorne, the next head of the branch family is._

_Then I'll link it all to Ami Fey's Curse…_

"Yes, they're quite influential." A familiar cocky voice suddenly spoke up.

The two of them looked up to see Detective Daryan Crescend scrutinising them from closeby.

_Daryan? What is HE doing here?_

"Hello, hello. Might you be on a date today?" He continued with a false grin.

_What terrible timing, this can't be a coincidence._

"If that's what you thought, I wish you wouldn't have interrupted." Dahlia replied back snappily.

_Did he spot us in town and follow us here?_

_**To ask me or Phoenix about what happened yesterday?**_

_There must have been a lot of plain clothes cops at the festival._

_There's no doubt they must know who the last people to have seen the victims are._

_In other words, Phoenix and me!_

"Two-timing the Hawthorne sisters, you're quite the tough guy." Daryan jokingly clapped Phoenix hard on the back.

_Judging by his attitude, he must be after Phoenix?_

_Does that mean he thinks it easier to get information when he's alone?_

"N-No, I'm not two-timing, right, Dahlia?" Phoenix turned bright red and desperately pleaded help from her.

_I don't like the way this is going…at this rate, Daryan might mention my friendship with Mia!_

_I don't want him to plant any weird ideas in Phoenix's mind._

Daryan looked Dahlia's way without Phoenix noticing and gave her an evil grin.

_Is he making this uncomfortable for me on purpose?_

_If you don't leave, I'll expose more…is that wht he's saying?  
>Damn him! You bastard!<em>

Dahlia had no choice but to stand up and bow deeply to the both of them.

"Oh, I need to be getting to work soon." She made up quickly. "Well, I'll call you later tonight, Feenie!"

"D-Dahlia!" Phoenix gazed with horror as she left the two of them.

She turned back to glance at Daryan with a look of pure hatred.

_He may have pulled one over me today…but the next time will be different._

Dahlia headed to the meeting after disguising herself as her sister once more. There were several people waiting outside the shrine already.

_Today's board meeting will be just as tense as a branch family meeting._

_Yes…a meeting of everyone who knows Hinamizawa's secrets!_

_I can't let my guard down for a second…_

"Oh? Is that you, Iris?"

"Uncle Hammond." Dahlia turned to the man in his mid forties, dressed in a shrine outfit.

_One of the higher ups of the branch family and someone who's close to Morgan._

_He's been kind to me ever since I was little._

_But it's entirely possible that he's involved with Ami Fey's Curse!_

"Is it just you today, Iris?"

"Yes. Mother isn't feeling well." Dahlia bowed her head in a worried way.

"I see…so is it safe to say you're the acting head of the branch family today? If there's anything that Morgan told you, you're welcome to tell us about it."

They all went in and were seated according to rank. Robert Hammond was seated along with Dahlia at the front of the desk arrangement while the rest of the attendees sat along the sides of the desks.

"Well then, I would like to begin today's proceedings." Hammond's voice brought everyone's discussing to a still silence.

"Have you all heard about the events of last night?"

There was some muttering amongst them, though no one spoke up to say that they had.

"Late last night on their way back to Okinomiya, police discovered a man's corpse. The man was the actor Will Powers." Hammond took this as a 'no' and began to explain.

"It would seem that the police checked with the area's prefectural police to locate Dee Vasquez, who had been with Mr Powers. As a result, they raced information that a woman's body had been burned in an oil drum in the mountains of Gifu and immediately identified the remains…confirming that it was Ms Dee Vasqez…" Hammond paused briefly and then turned towards Dahlia.  
>"Iris…did Morgan say anything?"<p>

All at once every head turned towards her, alert with attention, and Dahlia was frozen in spot.

_They're all looking over my shoulder at my hag of a mother._

_Remember! _

_Remember the Iris who looked at me with those frozen eyes a year ago…_

_And forced me to do such a terrible thing as if it didn't bother her at all._

_That's inside me too…!_

She took a deep breath and said with her eyes narrowed.

"I am Iris Hawthorne, acting head of the branch family. I am here today in the place of Morgan Fey, the true head of the family. Unfortunately, Ami Fey's wrath incurred for a fifth year. Do you know why the curse happened again this year?"  
>There was some more murmuring amongst the attendees, no one seemed to suspect that the one talking was not Iris Hawthorne, but her twin sister, Dahlia.<p>

"That's right," Dahlia said after regarding each person's behaviours in turn.

"It was because they trespassed into the saiguden, their filthy feet defiling the holy groun-,"

"HOW COULD THEY?" A bunch of people began shouting immediately, their eyes wide open and pupils shrunk in a mixture of shock, horror and anger.

"TEARING OUT THEIR ENTRAILS WOULDN'T BE ENOUGH FOR THOSE BRATS!"  
>"THEY BROUGHT IT ON THEMSELVES!"<p>

"AMI FEY, PLEASE CALM YOUR WRATH…"

"THIS IS WHY I HATE OUTSIDERS!"

"IT'S NO WONDER THEY WERE CURSED."

Dahlia sat there in shock.

_Everyone here is a blind believer in Ami Fey, just like my mother…!_

_They wouldn't hesitate to act in Ami Fey's place to execute someone who incurred her wrath._

_Even if they didn't do anything themselves, they would definitely look the other way while it happened._

_That's right. Even if someone strangled me right here in front of them…_

_Then if everyone here testified Iris wasn't at the meeting today…_

_My "demon abduction" would be complete…_

_No doubt about it…_

_The person linking that hag and the curse is in this room._

"Quite please…" She uttered, and only Hammond heard her.

"QUIET EVERYONE!" He bellowed, and the noise slowly died down.

"There were four crooks who snuck into the saiguden." Dahlia continued.

"Two are left. And those scoundrels are…Dahlia Hawthorne and Phoenix Wright! Dahlia Hawthorne has already-,"

"What about the other one…Phoenix Wright?"

Dahlia opened her mouth and then closed it again.

"N-Not yet…" she managed.

_He's so deadpan…_

_The Dahlia he loved so dearly has been demoned away…but he doesn't even blink._

"Ami Fey will bring the curse upon all four who defiled the saiguden." She muttered.  
>"Phoenix Wright will be no exception."<p>

The rest of the meeting didn't involve anymore outbursts from anyone. And they departed soon after. Dahlia stopped Hammond before he reached the door.

"Uncle Hammond…will you stop by my house."  
>"Oh? Did Morgan want something from me?"<br>"Yes…she wants to discuss with you about how the remaining two people should be taken care of." Dahlia quickly made up convincingly.

"Of course, I will come with you now."

They walked to the shrine in silence. Dahlia set down some hot tea in front of Hammond in the guest room.

"Mother will be here after she gets dressed. I think it might be about Dahlia."

"The poor girl, where is she now?"  
>"Down…<em>there<em>."

"I see…of course. She did enter the saiguden after all."

"But I think I feel sorry for Dahlia." She put on her best helpless face that she had seen Iris do so many times in front of someone when she needed something.

"She's always bee kept away from Hinamizawa. She must have known that the saiguden was sacred, but she probably didn't think it would be that bad."

"Indeed…I do pity her." Hammond murmured.

"Without seeing the tattoo on my back, how would anyone be able to tell me apart from Dahlia? There's hardly even a point in making the distinction between us. Even if Dahlia hasn't already been killed, she'll probably never see the light of day. In other words, I think she's been 'abducted by demons'."

"Surely Dahlia is sorry for what she's done?" Hammond placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"It's alright. If Dahlia is really sorry, she won't be abducted by demons. Leave it to your Uncle Hammond."

"W-Will she really be okay…?" Dahlia's raw emotions spilled through and she hiccupped quietly.

"She won't be abducted by demons like Mia Fey was last year?"

She couldn't resist including Mia in this. It was all that was on her mind nowadays.

"It will be alright. I'll ask Morgan to forgive her." Hammond said reassuringly.

_Uncle Hammond really is on my side._

_He's the one person who said he would forgive Dahlia._

_The one person who…_

"**I can't speak for that accursed Fey girl…but Dahlia is part of the branch family. I'm sure she'll be forgiven."**

_**Huh…?**_

"There's no hope for those Feys. They distinguished themselves as idols and mock the branch family. It's only expected that every last one of them is cursed. It's people like them who get abducted by demons.

_**Huh…What is this…?**_

"B-But didn't they let Mia go last year after Dahlia made restitution for everything?"

"Restitution? What restitution?"

"You know…she tore off three fingernails, remember? Jake, Uncle Grossberg and Mia…one for each person…"

"Is that what the three fingernails meant?" Hammond looked genuinely confused.

"Eh?"

_**What did he just say?**_

"I had heard that there were three people involved, so she made restitution for each of them with three fingernails. But the three were…

Jake Marshall,

Marvin Grossberg,

…and Dahlia.

That's what I heard."

_**What.**_

_That hurt terribly…and I put up with it._

_I mean, I had to endure it, until I had torn off all three. _

_I didn't know which fingernail would count for Mia._

_If the fingernail that would have saved Mia was the third one and I didn't endure it to the very end, they wouldn't have forgiven her._

_**So I grit my teeth and bore it.**_

_Iris came afterward and told me._

_She said everything had been forgiven._

"Iris?"

"**Why was Mia demoned away?"**

"Eh?"  
>"It's true that Mia's parents are the official heads of the village…and many people hate them for that…but Mia was just their daughter, that's all. What did <em>she<em> do wrong?" She suddenly stood up, her black wig in her face and hiding her eyes, which were getting wider and wider.

"Why am I asking? I know why. It's what the branch family decided. They decided that those with the last name Fey must be the ones to meet with Ami Fey's Curse."

"W-Wait, Iris, it's not as if it's set in stone…"

She ignored him.

"Ami Fey's Curse will eventually strike the Feys. We may have discussed the matter of the Feys being cursed in general terms…but no one's ever said or done anything as clear as that. So what do you mean by 'I can't speak for that Fey girl'?"

"Oh…I'm sorry, Iris. If I went too far, I apologise!" Hammond began shivering in fear.

"I see how it is. Whatever happens to a Fey, it's the curse. Whether or not Mia did anything wrong, as long as she 's a Fey, she's filth. The problem is that idea has spread like a disease."

She lifted her head to show the bloodthirsty eyes of a demon, causing Hammond to flinch.

"**And you've been infected by that disease, contaminated by those filthy ideas, and you blindly follower superstitions. I can't forgive you. I can't allow people like you to exist. People like you drove Mia's family to the brink. I feel so sorry for Mia. So, so sorry for her. What did she do? She didn't do anything. She didn't do anything at all. She was just a fey. Why did that guilt, that punishment, that curse, that damnation have to fall on her?**

**WHAT THE HELL DID MIA DO WRONG?"**

**ZAP!  
><strong>Hammond's body crumpled as he felt a strong surge of electricity emitted from the taser go through his system.

"Hello, Feenie? It's Dahlia. Actually…I hear that Ms Vasquez and Mr Powers died last night…"

Dahlia stirred the pot of vegetable soup as she listened to Phoenix panicking on the other end of the phone.

_As expected, Phoenix didn't know anything about the murder on the night of the Cotton Drifting._

_Currently, the investigations into the series of mysterious deaths are all highly classified._

_So of course they wouldn't be in the news._

_No matter who dies on the night of the Cotton Drifting, it won't be made public._

_In Hinamizawa, at some point, they created a place where you can kill anybody in the name of Ami Fey's Curse, every year on the night of the Cotton Drifting._

_The airborne infection, the idea that it's only natural for the enemies of the branchy family to die, has become the mother of formless murderers._

_At meetings, Morgan expected the curse to strike. _

_Every single person who sympathised with Morgan's wishes would try to meet her expectations, if only given the chance._

_Anyone could be the enforcer._

_O they all become co-conspirators and accomplices._

_If someone causes an incident, then the others try to meet Morgan's expectations in different ways._

_Creating alibis, hindering investigations…_

_They don't have to know who really did it._

_They all band together to protect that person._

_I've just identified Ami Fey's Curse._

_It's the system for carrying out the series of mysterious deaths in Hinamizawa._

_The people who have set up this system of murder and appointed Mia's family as the enemy._

_They are the ones with Mia's blood on their hands._

_They are the Ami Fey's Curse system._

_Hinamizawa itself is the object of my revenge!_

"Hello, Hammond residence."

"This is Hawthorne. Have you found the village chief?" Dahlia spooned some curry rice into her mouth and chewed slowly.

"It's no use. We can't find him. Honestly, where is he loafing about?"

"We've asked around everywhere we could think of too, but we found nothing. Mother says we should assemble the youth squad and have them look. It's right after the Cotton Drifting, so ask them to be discreet."

"Morgan said that?" Came the disbelieving tone.

"Yes. So please start alerting the members of the youth squad. I will be heading over there too, representing Mother."

Dahlia hung up the phone, finished her dinner and headed down to the torture chamber.

"Uncle Hammond…how are you feeling?"

The light of her torch revealed the tied up figure of Robert Hammond. He was bound by the arms and a metal chain with a noose had been tightly slipped around his neck, so that he had to stand on tip toe to be able to breathe.

"Ngh…ngh…"

"The entire village is searching for you right now."

"Nngh…"

"Oh right, I'll lengthen the chain a little for you so that you can talk." She did so, and Hammond collapsed to the ground, panting for breath.

"Please tell me everything you know about Mia Fey. For each question you answer, I'll make the chain one link longer."

"…I don't know, Dahlia…I really don't know anything." He croaked.

"Well, the Hinamizawa curse system does maintain its secrecy in those aspects after all. It's entirely possible that you know nothing. Then I would like to ask your opinion as a higher up in the branch family."

She leaned close to him.

"**Is Mia alive? Or is she dead?"**

"I've…heard rumours that she's alive. That someone saw her get on a bullet train to Tokyo…and the police saw her in Tokyo afer that…"

"Say…if she's a member of the accursed Fey family…what reason would there be to let her live? I've secretly be in touch with Detective Crescend for a while, but I never heard anything about that. If you're telling me some lie to make me feel better…then it will only make me angry."  
>She grabbed the lever make the chain shorter.<p>

"I-I'm sorry, Dahlia! I'll give it some honest thought!" Hammond cowered.

"Then do you think she's alive or do you think she's dead?"

"…I think it would be difficult to assume that she's alive." He finally said after a long pause.

"Indeed." She jerked the chain to lift him up by the toes again and then let him down, causing him to cry out in pain as the leather noose cut into his neck.

"There's no point in taking the enormous risk…that comes with letting her live. The police think that Mia was the one to kill her shrine maiden. Then used the money she had saved up for Maya's birthday present to run away. What do you think?"  
>"But I heard the killer was a dangerous man on drugs."<p>

"What do you say about that? I believe Mia killed the shrine maiden because she was driven mad by all the bullying from my hag of a mother. I think the other guy was just a scapegoat."  
>"I think so too…It doesn't make sense that he would suddenly tell everyone that he was the real murderer."<p>

"So he _was_ the scapegoat?" Dahlia turned back to him, flicking a strand of crimson red hair out of her eyes.

"I think he probably was."  
>"Why do you think there would be a scapegoat?"<br>"The police…thought Mia was the killer and continued the investigation, didn't they? If Mia was meant to be 'abducted by demons' and disappear, they wouldn't have liked having the police out looking for her."  
>"Indeed…but it's easy to invent a guilty part."<br>"Impossible for anyone but Morgan. You know about the kidnapping of a head of the Fey family's grandson, don't you? That was done under Morgan's orders. With Morgan's influence in the underworld, she can create a guilty party."  
>"Hmm, the hag, the branch family and the old alliance really were a force to be reckoned with, weren't they? That's scary…really scary." She said mockingly.<p>

"Who do you think carried out Mia's 'demon abduction'?"  
>"I don't know. It's an unwritten rule that we don't ask who did the deed."<p>

_I see. That's the kind of system it is._

"Well, whoever did it, it's pretty impressive that they could kill someone and make sure the body was never found."  
>"Regardless of who killed her…it's possible that Morgan helped to dispose of the body. You know that there's a well for throwing away dead bodies deep in the underground chamber we're currently standing in, right?"<p>

Dahlia stopped pacing around the room and stared at Hammond.

_It can't be! At the bottom of that well?_

She grabbed her torch and raced off into the direction that Hammond had indicated. Dahlia stopped just in front of the mouth of the large well, panting and listening to the sound of scattered rocks hit the sides of the well before falling into the seemingly bottomless pit, and also the sound of her own heartbeat."

She took a deep breath and yelled.

"**MIIIIIIAAAAA!"**

She listened to her voice echo down the well and suddenly saw an indistinctive glow at the bottom which slowly began to rise.

_Is Mia…at the bottom of the well?_

Dahlia suddenly felt a light pressure on her head, the warmth of a hand.

_**You finally found me.**_

She looked up to see Mia's transparent form floating above her, a hand ruffling her hair.

_Mia? MIA!_

_I…I-I've been looking for you all this time!_

_But I couldn't find you while you were alive…I'm sorry…I'm sorry!_

She wept as she lifted her hands to touch Mia's face, though they only felt air.

_**You didn't do anything wrong, Dahlia.  
>There wasn't anything you could have done before I was killed.<strong>_

_**But after I died…you did everything in your power.**_

_Mia! I'm coming to join you, Mia!_

_I'm going to jump down. Catch me!_

_**No…it's very important to live. **_

Mia gave her a sad smile.

_**Life is something you shouldn't waste.**_

_Without you, Mia, live is nothing!_

_I want to be with you!_

_I want you to pat my head again._

_I want to spend time together._

_Next time, I'll be a girl who can be herself, and not disguised as her twin sister._

_I want to be with you…_

_**Live…**_

_Live…?_

_**Live and make lots of fun memories, okay?**_

_What's so fun…about living alone?_

_**You'll find something…worth living for.**_

_**Please, do this for me.**_

_**Live.**_

Mia's pale form began to fade as she sunk back down into the depths of the pit.

_I will live…I will live._

_In your place…_

_I will live._

Iris was in a crouched position behind the bars of her cell, shivering in the cold and sobbing quietly. She suddenly saw Dahlia's dark figure looming over her.

"Iris…I found Mia…she's…at the bottom of the well, isn't she?"

"I think so. That's the only place she could be." Iris said, more tears streamed down her face.

"You…weren't there when they killed Mia, were you?"  
>"No."<br>"If you were there…would have asked the hag to let him go?"

"I absolutely would have…!" Iris suddenly cried out.

"I would have asked her to at least spare Mia her life!"

_**Dahlia…you have to make restitution…**_

"I definitely would have said that!"

_**Restitution…**_

"**You're LYING…YOU'RE LYING, YOU'RE LYING!"**

_Even if she had been there when they killed Mia…_

_She would never have taken off the mask of the next head of the family._

_It's beyond Iris' power to stop channeling the demon whenever she pleases._

Dahlia suddenly envisioned bodyguards holding Mia down.

_When Mia was brought to the torture chamber, she must not have even felt like she was alive._

Mia was sweating in panic as she was pinned to the ground, she managed to tilt her head up slightly so that she could see Iris.

_And while she knelt there, how she must have hoped for salvation when she saw Iris' face._

_She would have been sure she would save her…believing…_

Mia winced as they chained her inside an iron maiden, its doors open and protruding metal spikes sharp enough to kill.

_Sure that Iris had no choice but to channel the demon in front of her relatives._

_Though still sure that she would save her at any moment…_

_She would save her…_

The door of the iron maiden began to close…

_She would save her…_

_**I-Iris…?**_

_**Isn't it about time you saved me?**_

Iris' blank expression never changed.

_**Oh.**_

_**Because you're in front of your relatives…you can't stop channeling the demon.**_

_**No…**_

A single tear came down Mia's cheek, and she managed one more small smile to the Iris whom she knew and loved as a friend...

The iron maiden closed.

She didn't even have time to scream.

"**AHHHHHHHHHHH! NO! HELP HER! WHY WON'T YOU HELP HER?" **Dahlia began kicking the bars in fury and screaming at the top of her lungs.

"**And when Mia was under all that pressure because of her aunt…you didn't do a thing to save her! **

**YOU. **

**LET. **

**HER. **

**DIE!"**

"I tried to save her, even when you wouldn't defend Mia after she killed the shrine maiden! I gave myself up to give her an alibi! It was nothing, having to give up three fingernails for that! But you know, it wasn't nearly enough to save Mia! It didn't help at all!

**Because I…was Dahlia!" **

She glared at her twin sister with utmost hatred.

"Dahlia is kept away from Hinamizawa. Dahlia is hated. Dahlia is discriminated. They never tell Dahlia anything, therefore Dahlia couldn't know anything. Dahlia never had the RIGHT to exist…BUT YOU WERE DIFFERENT!"

Iris shrank back, her hands over her ears.

"**You were Iris!"** Dahlia reached inside the cell and pulled her by the singlet to face her. "You were inside Hinamizawa, you were at the centre of everything, you could learn anything! If I were Iris, I'm sure I could have saved Mia! I could have saved her! GIVE HER BACK, IRIS!"

She placed her hands around Iris' neck, ready to strangle her like she did back then.

"**GIVE MIA BACK!"**

Dahlia yawned widely and flopped back onto her desk wearily.

"Oh, Miss Hawthorne. You look like you didn't get enough sleep." Miles looked concernedly at her.

"Yes, I didn't get to sleep until around three…"  
>"Is it because of the village chief? Have they found him yet?" Phoenix turned to face Dahlia as well, eager to join the conversation.<p>

"No, they haven't." Dahlia replied tonelessly.

_After what happened yesterday, I met up with the youth squad.  
>We split up and looked everywhere.<em>

_There's no way they'll find him._

_Only I know that._

Dahlia took a lock of her hair and curled it. She had dyed it black last night, since 'Dahlia' technically had been abducted by demons. Now she didn't need to risk accidentally dropping her wig and revealing her true identity. Still, as she thought up about the fact that her hair was now the same colour as her wretched sister's, a surge of hot anger bubbled up inside her.

She looked to Phoenix.

_Phoenix Wright, just looking at him like this, there's no way of knowing if the danger is closing in on him or not._

_Maybe I'll talk to him again tonight in the form of a phone call from 'Dahlia'./i_

She then turned to someone whom she hadn't paid attention to this entire time she was disguised as Iris.

It was her step sister, Pearl Fey. Pearl had the same mother as Dahlia, but a different father. It appeared that her biological father, the priest, had died of some strange illness shortly after Morgan gave birth to her. This happened in between the time when Dahlia's own father had to go run a business errand, so he never found out. Morgan had pretended that she was looking after Pearl for a friend, when she was actually her own daughter.

As a spirit medium, Pearl had extraordinary powers for someone of her age. And was highly regarded in the branch family. Because of that she was eligible to live in the main family temprorarily. This was also good for Morgan because then her husband had less chances to question her about it.

_Pearl Fey…my stepsister and a channeling prodigy._

_She's always spoiled rotten at the family meetings._

_It's hard to believe a little girl like her could be responsible for part of the curse system._

_But…there are a number of elderly villagers who blindly follow Pearl Fey as the reincarnation of Ami Fey, since her channeling powers are so amazing._

_Pearl Fey herself is a little strange somehow._

_Apparently there are times when she acts like she is aware that she is the reincarnation of Ami Fey. _

_If Pearl is concerned about something, the elderly blind followers will anticipate her desires,_

_The schematic is no different than the way orders are given by Morgan or the Hinamizawa Curse system._

_I wonder if Pearl Fey knows about Dee Vasquez and Will Power's deaths._

_What about our sneaking into the saiguden?_

_Considered as the caretaker of the saiguden, there's a strong chance she would have been the first to realise it had been broken into._

_Maybe she was the one who reported the break-in?_

Dahlia cornered her afterschool and led her to the school shed to interrogate her.

"As the caretaker of the saiguden, do you know what's been going on?"

"Do you mean about Mr Powers and Ms Vasquez, Miss Iris?" Pearl spoke in a timid, respectful voice.

_She does know. So her title as the reincarnation of Ami Fey isn't just for show._

"It was Ami Fey's curse, Miss Iris. That's all I can say."

"Then it's not over yet, is it? There are two left. Have you heard what's going to happen to those two?"

_Pearl Fey…how will you take this bait?_ Dahlia smirked inwardly.

"I don't really care, Miss Iris." She said unexpectedly.

"Y-You don't care. Don't you know there won't be any restitution that way?"

"I think they're really sorry for what they did, that's good enough, Miss Iris."

_If they're sorry, that's good enough…?  
>That's nothing like what the old men at the board meeting were saying!<em>

_Come to think of it…her father…was called a fence sitter during the incidents, wasn't he?_

_I see, so the apple doesn't fall far from the tree._

Dahlia suddenly grabbed Pearl by the collar of her clothing.

"How can you be so indifferent?" She demanded.

"You must know better than anyone just how sacred the saiguden is! It's not like you don't know…how serious a crime it is to defile it!"  
>"The saiguden is a place precious to Ami Fey, Miss Iris. You can't just go inside whenever you want."<p>

"So you do know. Those four desecrated it."

"They were bad cats, Miss Iris…Meow…"

"That's right," Dahlia decided to play along with this metaphorical conversation.

"Bad cats, we caught two of them and punished them. There are two left. How should we make restitution? Let me hear your opinion as the reincarnation of Ami Fey."

"I want to forgive the other two cats, Miss Iris."

"And you think that will be enough to make restitution?"  
>"Mew…I don't really understand the word 'restitution', Miss Iris."<p>

Dahlia let go of Pearl.

"Oh, that's a good question. Then let's have a lesson. 'Restitution' means making up for your sins. We can't leave sins as they are. That would be ignoring Ami Fey's wrath. So you have to make restitution in proportion to the greatness of your sins, or you won't be cleansed of them."

"Ami Fey won't…get mad if people see the saiguden."  
>"What are you talking about? Are you just talking rubbish?"<p>

"It's bad to look inside because it's full of scary devices, Miss Iris. I think there are a lot of people who would get scared if they saw them. That's why we make sure not to let them see. I think the people who say inside would get scared. So I think they're sorry for what they did, Miss Iris."

"So they'll be forgiven because they're sorry? It's not something for you to decide! Ami Fey decides!"  
>"I am Ami Fey's priestess, Miss Iris."<p>

"So what? Did Ami Fey just tell you 'I'm not mad'?"

Pearl nodded.

"Ha…! You appall me! It's because you are like that that your father died from the curse two years ago!"  
>"Ami Fey wouldn't do that, Miss Iris. Father didn't die because of the curse. I don't know why you're so angry, Miss Iris."<p>

_She should know just as much about the dark side as the other heads of the family.  
>But she still looks so serious while she plays innocent.<em>

Dahlia couldn't control her anger anymore and slapped Pearl hard across the cheek.

_Damn, I'm afraid of what she'll grow into!_

Pearl collapsed onto the floor, a hand to the already swelling side of her cheek.

"First of all…This all started because you wanted to change the lock on the saiguden to a simpler one, didn't it?"

Dahlia recalled Ms Vasquez telling her this before they broke in.

"That's right, Miss Iris. The lock was too stiff for me. I talked to Hammond about it and had him change it to an easier one."

"If you had been willing to spend that much effort and left a sturdy lock…you might not have let the saiguden be invaded! you're partly responsible for what happened. And of course, so is Robert Hammond, since he's the one who changed the lock! Robert Hammond…had to make restitution, that's why he disappeared. And you, Pearl Fey, will have to make restitution too. Phoenix Wright is the only one left. I ask that you take care of him."

"I don't understand any of this, Miss Iris, I really don't!" Tears of pain streamed down Pearl's bruised cheek.

"You don't have to understand. You just keep that troubled look on your face. It's the same as our family. Anyway, I'll be counting on you."  
>Dahlia began to walk away, leaving Pearl still lying on the ground, crying her eyes out.<p>

_If my threat worked, Ami Fey's Curse will be vising Phoenix Wright before long._

_If an assassin appears, then she's just as guilty as my mother!_

_When that happens, I don't care how young she is. I'll show no mercy!_

_I'll really hammer the point home, into each of her spotless fingers!_

Dahlia dropped her bag aside and collapsed onto her bed.

"I wonder how Uncle Hammond is doing. He wouldn't have died after just one night, right...?"

_Uncle Hammond…I really liked him._

_My mother was so strict…and he was kind and spoiled me enough to make up for it._

**kanakanakankan…kana….kana…kana…**

The sound of Higurashi suddenly chorused in the evening air.

_A lot of people say that hearing the Higurashi cicadas cry bring back fond memories…_

_I've only ever heard Higurashi…in Hinamizawa._

_To me, the cry of Higurashi…is the sound of Hinamizawa._

_A place I'm not supposed to be._

_All it does is make me feel that loneliness._

A sudden ringing of the doorbell awoke Dahlia from her thoughts and she went to the door.

"Hello, Miss Iris." Came the soft voice.

_Pearl Fey?_

"Pearl? What's wrong?"

"I came to ask for some soy sauce."

_Soy sauce?_

_Oh right…I had posted a bulletin saying that we still have a lot of soy sauce._

She hesitantly started to unlock the door.

"Alright then, I'll be with you shortly."

_Is that really what Pearl Fey is here for?_

"Good evening, Miss Iris." Pearl bowed when the door finally opened, holding the big empty bottle.

_Maybe the soy sauce is an excuse…and she wants to talke to me in secret?_

"I'll fill it up, so you wait here, okay?" Dahlia extended a hand to retrieve the soy sauce bottle.

"I've gotten good at using a funnel to fill the soy sauce bottle too, Miss Iris."

_She wants to fill it herself?_

_Fine. It would be a little unsettling to leave Pearl here all by herself._

"Come in then," she turned and allowed Pearl to come inside.

As they walked down the wooden floorboards of the hallway, Dahlia realised that only one pair of footsteps could be heard. She stopped suddenly, and Pearl crashed into her.

"Oh, I'm sorry."

They continued walking, yet the footsteps of Pearl Fey still could not be heard.

_This girl…she's having fun overlapping or footsteps…_

_Our footsteps are always together._

_And when I stop suddenly, I hear one extra._

_But because they're this girl's footsteps…she's still there when I turn around._

They finally reached the spare room at the end of the hall and Dahlia knelt down to open a lid leading to the attic.

"We still have plenty, take as much as you want."

She turned around to see Pearl Fey with a stony expression on her face, the bottle that was in her hands was gone.

"Eh…?"  
><em>Pearl?<em>

_But…wait, no…who?_

Pearl suddenly revealed what she had been hiding behind her back, a can of pepper spray. She released it into the air right in front of Dahlia's face.

"AHHHHHH!" Dahlia recoiled as the spray hit her right in the eyes.

"IT STINGS, AHHH, STOP, STOP!"

She suddenly felt pressure on her right shoulder as was flung to the ground with her back pressed against the floor. Pearl positioned herself ontop of her, so that there was no way for her to move.

_No…she's not Pearl?_

_Argh, damn it! Calm down!_

_Cool your head!_

Pearl suddenly bent down and retrieved something else from her skirt pocket. She held it in front of Dahlia menacingly.

_A syringe?_

She bit down on the plastic lid of the syringe and pulled with her hand, so that the lid fell off.

And then pointed the tip down towards Dahlia's pinned down arm.

**Part V – Revenge End **


	7. Part VI Conviction

**The Eye Opening Turnabout**

**Chapter VI – Conviction**

_Pearl?_

Dahlia gasped in horror as her stepsister pointed the tip of the syringe close to her arm and readied herself to inject her. She saw an opening point and grabbed Pearl's arm, forcing it down.

In desperation to force Dahlia off her, Pearl pressed down on the pepper spray nozzle, and accidentally inhaled a large amount of it.

Coughing and spluttering, she was thrown off of Dahlia and onto the floorboards, but quickly got up, a sneer on her face and her two hands holding the syringe and the spray bottle.

Dahlia seized the moment to jump up onto her feet and rummaged in her skirt pocket hastily for her taser.

_I never thought Pearl would come attack me on her own!_

She raised her weapon in front of her and the blue jet of electricity crackled in the evening air, as if it were roasting the dust particles in the air.

"Well, you sure slit open your own belly here! You want me to pull everything out for you?" She spat and was shocked when Pearl continued to grin.

_So her goal is to get that syringe into me?_

_If she can get that syringe into me, that would make her surprise attack a success…_

_That's the thought I can see flitting across her mind._

_In other words…_

_Whatever that drug does kicks in immediately._

_It will either knock me unconscious, or kill me instantly.  
>Those are the only possibilities!<em>

_But my stun gun is a game winning weapon too…it can knock out my opponent in one blow…!_

The two of them circled each other for several seconds, until Dahlia finally broke the silence.

"Come on! How long do you intend to stand around in somebody else's house? If you won't come get me…" she spotted a pile of old newspapers next to her feet and kicked them up into the air with force.

"I'll come to you!"

Pearl gasped in shock as the newspapers fluttered before her eyes, completely obscuring her view of the battlefield. Before she knew it, she saw Dahlia's piercing stare as she lunged towards her and pressed the taser right into the side of her body.

She felt pain, unbearable pain surge through her entire body, causing her to drop the pepper spray bottle and let it clatter about, rolling on the floor. She groaned, paralysed and unable to move an inch.

"Ha…! You're pathetic! Did you think you could beat me?"

Dahlia kicked her in the side, making her cry out in shock.

"Don't take me so lightly, little brat!" She grabbed the syringe in Pearl's limp hand.

"So…what kind of drug is in here, I wonder?" Dahlia raised it high above her head, the other hand pinning Pearl's arm down.

"LET'S TEST IT OUT ON YOU…!"

And she pushed the needle tip into Pearl's vein with force and pressed down on the syringe, sending the yellowish liquid straight into her sister's system.

Pearl screamed out in agony and writhed about on the ground, gasping horribly. She managed to push herself up shakily into a sitting position. Her fingers scrabbling on the wall and coughing fitfully.

She weakly faced Dahlia, her eyes unfocused and hair coming undone.

Dahlia's stomach churned as she realised how much the shaking girl looked like Mia…only much younger.

But that didn't stop her from throwing back her head and laughing madly.

"Ahahaha…! You're pathetic! This is so hilarious! I guess I could just watch and see how long it takes for you to kick the bucket!"

"I-Iris…what's happened to you?" Pearl spoke in a voice quite unlike hers, a more mature and calm tone that Dahlia had never heard up until now.

"Why…are you d-doing all of this?"

Dahlia ignored her completely and sneered at her.

"But then I'd lose all the fun of torturing you. Well, then. Shall we party elsewhere? To the fun and delightful underground saiguden?"

Pearl chose that moment to stagger over to a nearby table filled with weapons, and reached for a throwing knife.

"Oh? You still have that much energy left?"

Pearl pointed the blade towards Dahlia and glared at her.

"Unfortunately I must decline your invitation…you torture fiend."

"Compared to the bloody history the branch family, what I do is nothing. So…you're going to resist me with that one knife, staggering around like that? It's all you can do to just stand up straight."

"Indeed…as you say, I'm at my limit. If my other choice is to be tortured to death by you, then you'll have to excuse me…for I am going to make my exit."

"Ha…! Exit? GO AHEAD AND TRY!" Dahlia pointed the taser in her hand towards Pearl and let another surge of electricity burst forth.

Unexpectedly, Pearl smirked and placed her free hand on her magatama, which Dahlia noticed just then, had begun glowing an unnatural red.

"Well then, goodbye…torture fiend!"

Pearl threw the knife straight at Dahlia, which she just managed to dodge, and watch it sail across the room and embed itself firmly into the wall. Dahlia glanced back to her sister in shock and watched with fascination as a strong beam of light enveloped her. Pearl's pupils shrunk and then disappeared altogether, so that she was blank eyed and clouded as she was lifted off her feet. A few heartbeats later, she crashed back down to the floor, lifeless and her magatama cracked and frozen to useless stone.

Dahlia stared at the girl's body for a full minute and then dropped her taser.

She screamed victory into the silent night air.

"I WON, I WON, I BEAT THEM ALL! THE HEAD OF THE BRANCH FAMILY DIED FROM SHOCK, I'VE CAPTURED A HIGHER UP…I'VE DEFEATED THE MOST POWERFUL CHANNLER WHEN SHE CAME AFTER ME AND DIED A DEATH FIT FOR THE HEAD OF THE FAMILIES…TO LOSE HER OWN SPIRIT FOREVER! THAT'S RIGHT, I DID IT!"

Dahlia threw her hands above her head and gazed out the window.

"I've destroyed everyone who dragged Mia into the curse! Everyone…! EVERYONE!"

* * *

><p><em>Mia was so helpless.<em>

_She had no power to fight against her destiny._

_What could I have done to save Mia?_

_I couldn't save her._

_Dahlia Hawthorne couldn't have offered anymore help than she did._

_If I had been Iris instead of Dahlia!_

_If I could have been Iris that day, then I could have saved her…_

_If I were Iris…I could have saved Mia…_

* * *

><p>Dahlia picked up the fallen sheets of newspaper and covered Pearl's body with them. She gazed at her step-sister who looked like the child form of a sleeping Mia. Without thinking, she held onto the girl's wrist.<p>

There was no pulse.

She sighed softly and reached for a hair elastic and tied up Pearl's hair into its original two loops.  
>She didn't want to feel as if she had killed Mia herself.<p>

Dahlia backed away from the body, contemplating how to dispose of it.

The phone rang at that precise moment, and Dahlia rushed to it to pick it up.

"Hello, main family shrine…"

"Thank you for always being so kind, this is Maya calling."

Dahlia jerked up immediately and pressed the phone closer to her ear.

_Maya Fey…_

"I'm terribly sorry for calling you so late at night, but is Pearly there?"

"Oh…she stopped by…" Dahlia's mind clicked into place as she sensed the perfect opportunity to end the lives of all her enemies, permanently.

"Actually, we made a little too much for dinner tonight. So we're entertaining Pearls here."

"I-Is that so? Nngh…" She heard Maya hesitate at the other end of the phone, and the sound of a pot cooking food. She must be preparing dinner.

"You should come too, Maya." Dahlia said with a twisted smile spreading across her face.

"We have enough for you too…Pearls has already eaten."

* * *

><p><em>Ring…Ring…<em>

"Phoenix! Phone! It's Miss Hawthorne!"

"Eh?"

"Feenie? This is Dahlia. It looks like you're safe…" Her concerned voice crackled through the bad reception.

"Safe…? Of course I'm safe."

"Don't forget that we're in a situation where that's not necessarily the case. Actually…I kind of feeling like I'm being watched."

"What?"

_This is a bluff to give Phoenix a greater sense of imminent danger._

"It might only be my imagination but you be careful too, Feenie."

"Yeah…"

_The way he's acting, I guess nothing suspicious has happened to him all day._

_Now that the head and higher ups of the branch family have all disappeared…it's possible that the curse system has collapsed._

_In that case, it's possible that no one will attack Phoenix._

_But if there were someone going after Phoenix, then that would mean a part of the system still survives._

_And that would mean that I haven't completed my revenge._

_That's right.  
>Phoenix is like my litmus paper.<em>

_I can find out whether or not I've destroyed all my enemies based on whether someone takes the Phoenix bait._

_Next, to put Phoenix's mind even more on guard…_

_I stirred up his fear of Iris and the branch family…_

_And explained the possibility that the whole village of Hinamizawa might be involved in the conspiracy._

"So…Feenie…Do you have anything to talk about?"

"Oh yeah…apparently the village chief has gone missing."

"The village chief…you mean Uncle Hammond?"

_Dahlia isn't supposed to know about Hammond's disappearance. _

"Why didn't you tell me this sooner? That's very important! What should we do? I…I TOLD UNCLE HAMMOND ABOUT GOING INSIDE THE SAIGUDEN!"  
>"…Eh?"<br>"It's…my fault…It's because I told him…"

"Stop it…it's not your fault."

"No! IT IS MY FAULT! I MEAN, IT HAPPENED RIGHT AFTER I TOLD HIM! HE DISAPPEARED THE VERY NIGHT I TOLD HIM AND HE SAID IT WOULD BE OKAY!"

_I'm not shaken up in the slightest…_

_I'm only acting like I am…but there's a desire to pray for his safety budding inside me._

"THEY KILLED HIM!"  
><em>It's a strange sensation…<em>

"Hey, calm down!" She heard Phoenix slam his desk on the other side of the phone and finally regain some of his old confidence.

"Wouldn't they have erased you before erasing the village chief just because you talked to him?"

"No…! **They're planning to kill us last!**"

"Wh…What…?"

"They'll kill everyone we're close to in turn…and kill us after they've put us through so much sadness! That must be what they're trying to do! He was killed because I talked to him…He was killed before he knew…"

"D-Dahlia…hey!"

"HE WAS KILLED BECAUSE I OPENED UP TO HIM!"

_Kill everyone we're close to in turn…and kill us after putting us through so much sadness…_

_**That's brilliant.**_

_I am no longer a human._

_I am a demon._

_A human would never think of anything so cruel._

_I'll take everyone close to you, make you watch as I torture them to death, and in the end, I'll kill you._

_To think there was such an effective way to torment a single life it its very limits._

_And this…_

_**Is something I can carry out immediately.**_

"P-Pearls…!"

"Eh…?"  
>"I opened up to someone too, to Pearls!" Phoenix was worked up into a frenzy on the other end of the phone.<br>"I'm sorry, I'm gonna call Pearls!"

He hung up.

"Hehehehe…AHAHAHAHA…!" Dahlia burst into laughter and fell to the floor, clutching her side.

_I've already disposed of Pearl and Maya's bicycles and shoes._

_Phoenix Wright…_

_Struggle in whatever way your heart leads you…_

_Run around the village, testing whether or not the curse will strike…_

_Do the investigating for me and see if there's anyone else I need to take vengeance on!_

* * *

><p>"Miss Fey! Are you there?" Miles Edgeworth called across into the shrine and received no answer.<p>

"I'll go check the main house!" He told Phoenix and left him alone with Dahlia.

"The main house…?"

"The house where the Feys really live. But I hear it's been empty since the father passed away. Maya doesn't have any parents to look after her ever since the village head left for an important business affair. People say it's Ami Fey's Curse that's caused all of this… And I hear that her sister, Mia is gone too."

"Mia…I've heard that name before." Phoenix climbed the ladder leading to the window of the shrine and stopped on its step, his head tilted up and contemplating.

"_I've heard that name before…" He says._

_That desk you've been using to your heart's content at school…spilling your lunch all over it…_

…_Drooling on it while you take naps…don't you know whose desk it really is?_

Dahlia gripped the sides of the ladder and willed herself to calm down.

_What are you getting worked up about?_

_Mia's very existence has been erased._

_It's not Phoenix's fault if he doesn't know._

"Since then, those two have lived together in this cabin. They say it's hard living at their old houses. It reminds them of the past."

_That's right.  
>Maya and Pearl are very close relatives.<em>

_Despite being a main family member and a branch family member, they've always been close._

_Maya's the only one who hasn't met with Ami Fey's Curse…_

_Is it because Pearl Fey arranged it that way?_

_**It's mortifying!**_

_To think that little girl has the power to protect those close to her!_

_She may have only been an acting head, but Iris should have that same ability!_

_Just like Pearl defended Maya…_

_Iris should have been able to defend Mia!_

"Maya and Pearls sure have it rough." Phoenix murmured.

"**She's cursed."**  
>"Eh…?"<p>

"**Maya Fey is a cursed girl, who's taken Ami Fey's Curse upon herself. **

**I can't forgive her. **

**Maya is the one who deserves the curse most of all! **

**She's a main family member, but Mia couldn't gain forgiveness! **

**Why should Maya be the only one who is forgiven? **

**Mia, the girl who protected her, disappeared on her birthday! **

**Maya put all that pressure on Mia! **

**That's why Mia disappeared! **

**The police decided that she ran away from home…but Mia wasn't the kind of person who would run away! **

**If it weren't for her, then Mia and I could still be having fun together, just like Pearl and Maya were! That poor Mia! **

**Unappreciated Mia! **

**Maya should have died by the curse first! **

**Then Mia would still be alive! **

**If only she were alive, I would do anything it takes to save her! **

**She's always worked so hard for her sister! **

**I can't forgive her…**

**I CAN'T FORGIVE HER!"**

_She's the most suitable victim for the 1983 curse, isn't she?_

_Pearl Fey is dead._

_The so-called reincarnation of Ami Fey is dead._

_There is currently no god in Hinamizawa to bring down the curse._

_I have the right to make the decision!_

_I, Dahlia Hawthorne, the true head of the branch family!_

She realised just then that she had been shaking the ladder with force, and had almost wrenched Phoenix off it completely. He clung to the piece of wood, staring at her in uncomprehending fear.

* * *

><p>"Evening, everyone…are we all still alive?"<p>

The room was silent except for the sobbing of a certain young girl chained to a wooden cross. Close to her was Hammond's body, dangling by the noose that had taken his life.

"M-Murderer…murderer…" Maya Fey croaked with tears in her eyes as she stared at Dahlia.

"Why are y-you doing this, Iris?"

"STOP! STOP, SISTER…PLEASE!" The real Iris' pleading voice rang from the inner cells.

"I'm not Iris. I'm the real Dahlia. The one you think is Dahlia is actually Iris."

"How dare you do this to everyone? T-To Pearly?"

"Pearl brought her fate upon herself. She came here to kill me, you know."

"You…you're lying! Pearly would never…!"

There was an uncomfortable silence as Dahlia reached into the inner pocket of her shrine outfit.

"Wh-what are you going to do to me?" Maya whimpered.

Dahlia raised the same leather whip she had used on her mother.

"**I'm going to kill you."**

"STOP…! SISTER! STOP IT, DON'T KILL MAYA, PLEASE!" Iris screamed through her bars and banged against them.

"Do you finally understand your crime now?" Dahlia answered back.

"You didn't stop when it was Mia! That's why Mia was killed like an insect! You had ten billion chances to save Mia, and you threw them all away! You let her die…That, is your CRIME!"

Dahlia brought the whip down to Maya with force at the end of her sentence and she cried out in agony.

"STOP, STOP!" Iris could barely be heard beneath Maya's screaming.

"I DON'T CARE WHAT HAPPENS TO ME! BUT PLEASE FORGIVE MAYA!"

"You screaming now? That's just how I was a year ago! It doesn't matter how loudly you scream! Those screams won't be heard! You can't save her! You can't help her! TASTE THE PAIN OF BEING UNABLE TO SAVE YOUR FRIENDS!"

Dahlia continued to whip Maya mercilessly on the right arm, until the skin was torn and bleeding.

"All right, Iris." She examined the blood stained whip and faced her sister.

"If you apologise ten thousand times, I'll spare Maya. When you count up to exactly ten thousand, I'll forgive her."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry…"

**WHIP, WHIP**

"AHHHHHH!"

"I'msorryI'msorryI'msorryI'msorry…"

**CRACK  
>"UWAAAAAHHHHH…!"<strong>

"I'MSORRYI'MSORRYI'MSORRYI'MSORRYI'MSORRY!"

"You do have a patent on crying, don't you? Will your beloved _Sis'_ come save you if you cry?"

Maya looked up with a dazed expression towards the ceiling.

"S-Sis…" She breathed.

"Sis…"

"That's right, you only had to cry for your Sis! All you had to do was cry, and Mia would come defend you, but GUESS WHAT? DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH PAIN THAT CAUSED MIA?" She slashed her arm once more with the whip.

"You're going to pay for that crime, starting now. And I'm going to make sure you do!"

Maya suddenly gritted her teeth and refused to make any more noise.

"What's the matter? Have you lost all the feeling in your right arm already? THEN LET'S GO WITH YOUR LEFT ARM!"

**CRACK!**

"NGHN…!"

"…"  
>"Y-Yes… I thought so…too…" Maya panted.<p>

"I was spoiled, I couldn't stop clinging to Sis…I drove her to the edge…that's why she disappeared…on the day that Sis vanished…I already knew."

"Well, that's certainly a surprise…to think you realised how guilty you were." Dahlia stopped whipping her for a second and stared at the little girl.

"I'm sure Sis will come back!" Maya grunted with the effort of staying conscious.

"When she does, I'll show her that I can take care of myself…I won't cry to Sis anymore! I won't hide behind her! **I'll let her know that I can take care of myself now!**"

"Hehehehe…AHAHAHA…! That would be great if she came back!"

**WHIP**

"Sis will come back! I know…SHE WILL, I KNOW IT. Then I'll apologise for being such a baby all that time. Until then…I can't be beaten…I CAN'T BE BEATEN! I'll never run to Sis again! I won't call for her! I WON'T CRY…!"

**CRACK!**

"I won't scream…

**SO I'LL BEAR IT ALL BY MYSELF!"**

**SLASH…!**

Maya opened her eyes and looked down, she realised she had been cut deeply from her left shoulder to the bottom right of her leg by something in Dahlia's hands.

It was a seven-branched sword.

The most deadly and treasured torture weapon in the saiguden.

Maya knew her time had come as large amounts of blood spilled forth from her open wound. She tilted her head upwards and weakly croaked;

"S-Sis…You're watching me…right? See how strong Maya has become…? I won't cry…over a little thing like this…b-because…this is nowhere near all the pain that you felt…when y-you got hurt…

**for me.**"

And she released her final breath and closed her eyes.

Maya Fey died with a smile on her bloodstained face.

* * *

><p><em>I couldn't…crush Maya's strength…<em>

_Maya waited, believing in the day that Mia would come back…_

_Wanting to show her how though she'd become._

_And it wasn't Mia…who confirmed that fact._

_It was the one who doesn't think for a second that she will come back…_

_The one who has no intention of waiting for her return…_

_It was me._

A gust of wind suddenly blew Dahlia's hair into her face, and she could see them.

She saw Mia with her arms spread wide and Maya running joyfully into her sister's embrace.

Mia stroked the little girl's hair affectionately and whispered;

"_It's okay. You can cry now."_

Maya stared at her for several seconds, not quite understanding what her sister meant. It was almost as if she had forgotten _how_ to cry. But soon she could no longer control the salty tears that leaked from her eyes, and she buried her face into Mia's shoulder and wept.

_M-Mia…_

She looked up at Dahlia, like she was really standing right there in the saiguden.

_Dahlia…_

_I thought I asked you to do something for me…_

_Eh? You mean… the night before the Cotton Drifting?_

_**Dahlia…**_

_**Take care of Maya for me.**_

The vision disappeared as quickly as it had come, leaving Dahlia choking for breath.

_Mia…WAS COUNTING ON ME!_

_What…__**am I?**_

_Unable to wait for Mia's return, I filled myself with the demon and acted out._

_Not believing in Mia coming back…I forgot…the one last favour…_

…_that Mia was counting on me for._

_Mia waited for Maya and for me._

_But I couldn't keep the promise that I had to fulfill in order for her to return._

_Maya had to get stronger._

_And I…had to look after Maya in Mia's place._

_Maya kept her promise._

_That's why in the end, Mia embraced her._

_And me…? I…_

Dahlia fell onto the floor, barely missing the seven branched sword and gazed at Maya's dead body.

_From the very beginning, I never did a thing to keep my promise._

_I…_

She shakily crawled towards it and undid the chains, cradling Maya's still figure in her arms.

"M-Maya…"

She saw the torn pieces of skin and flesh peeling grotesquely upwards on the little girl's arms.

"Ngh…M-Maya…AHHHH!"

Dahlia sobbed, holding onto her tightly and rocking back and forth, wishing all her pain and screaming would miraculously wake Maya up from the dead.

_**No one…will come for me.**_

**Thump**

_I finally realise._

_That thing still standing behind me…_

_It wasn't Mia._

_Or some terrifying presence that would sometimes scare me._

_It was…me._

_Mia's already abandoned me…  
>What will happen if I've abandoned myself too?<em>

_I don't like this dark place!_

_I hate this filthy, blood stained place!_

_I hate it!_

"Don't leave me alone! If myself abandons me…what will happen to my flesh? I won't have anything left…"

_**All I have left…filling the bottom of my heart…**_

_**Will be the twisted, filthy demon.**_

"Nghn…huff…huff…hehehe…heheheh…Come on."  
>Dahlia removed her bloodstained hands from her face, leaving red marks on her cheeks.<p>

"Even I knew…that I am already a **demon**. Demons don't feel sadness!"  
>She threw her hands into the air, shouting to no one in particular.<p>

"A demon's heart feels no pain! A demon doesn't need to despair!"

Dahlia realised then that her sister was still apologising desperately in the corner.

"Iris, there's no need for you to count anymore, thanks for all your hard work!"

Iris screamed out in horror as she realised just then that Maya was no longer screaming and started sobbing hysterically.

"Ahahaha…! It's so bad being a demon! I didn't know it was so fun to hear people scream and cry! Oh right, Iris. You like Feenie, don't you?" She spun on the spot like a ballerina and sang wickedly.

"Alright, I'll tear Feenie apart right before your eyes! Then I'll kill you, and kill myself!

**And then I'll go back to the land of the demons!**"

_**AHAHAHHAHAHHAHAH…!**_

* * *

><p>"This is Dahlia. How was Pearly?"<p>

"They can't find her." Phoenix's defeated voice crackled feebly in the phone's speaker.

"And Maya's disappeared too…"

"Oh, Feenie. Don't let it get you down…"

_Phoenix…_

"Hey, Dahlia? What do you think happened to Pearls and M-Maya?"

_I'm…a demon now._

"I think they've been killed."

_So I won't make any excuses._

"I think it would be really hard to kidnap someone and keep them alive."

"E-Eh?"

"As long as they're not using them as hostages, it would make the most sense to kill them once they were done with them."

Phoenix yelled out in shock and fury.

"WHY? The disputes between the families should have calmed down by now! Hasn't the curse done enough! Tell me…! Why does someone in Hinamizawa have to die every year on the night of the Cotton Drifting!"

Dahlia sighed.

"Someone in the village is using Ami Fey's Curse to justify repeatedly killing and causing disappearances every Cotton Drifting. That way, they've created a system for eliminating the village's enemies."  
>"Then why Maya and Pearls? They had nothing to do with the disputes! It was all the heads of the families, wasn't it? So why? Who the hell would DO something like that?"<p>

Mia's image rose to the front of Dahlia's mind once more, and she bit her lip.

"I understand how you feel, Feenie."

"There was no reason for these people to be cursed…so WHY?"

"It's hard for me too…hic…There's no one in my family left I can depend on…And my one friend, Uncle Hammond…was killed because I opened up to him…"

"**When did you open up to him?"**

"Eh?"

"The village chief was at the hospital that day. He hadn't told anyone. Did you know about the hospital, Dahlia?"

"Um…well…"

"The village chief got back right before the village meeting and disappeared right after! In other words, **there wasn't any time for you to open up to him!**"

Dahlia started to fake cry…and then realised that Phoenix couldn't see her tears, so she began laughing instead.

Laughing at his stupidity, at how slow he was.

Laughing at the entire situation stretched out in front her.

And laughing at how hopeless the state she currently in was.

And then hung up.

"Well done, Feenie. You've finally figured it out. That's right…it was me. I did it…"

_Hurry and chase me down…_

_Hurry…_

_And release me…_

* * *

><p>"Miss Iris…" Miles' directed gaze was stern as he sorted through the facts he had learnt recently in his mind before taking a deep breath and continuing.<p>

"Pearl Fey and Maya Fey came to your house the day before yesterday, is that correct?"

"I don't remember, why do you think so?" Dahlia fingered her jet black hair uncertainly, just like her sister would and waited for his answer. Both Phoenix and Miles had come into the main family shrine to investigate why she hadn't been to school for so long, and they were seated across each other behind a small desk in the guest room.

"You saw Pearl Fey's room, didn't you, Miss Iris?" He reached into his schoolbag and retrieved a dark red notebook, which he opened and ran his eyes down a page.

"There was a pot on the stove with some miso soup in it. There was about half a block of tofu inside." He looked up at Dahlia to see her reaction, and upon finding none that showed any indication that she was following him, continued.

"Tofu is the last thing you put in miso soup. Ergo, that would mean they were in the kitchen until right before dinner."  
>Dahlia repositioned herself on her cushion and successfully gave off a calm sigh.<p>

"Next, I looked in the refrigerator. There were side dishes and the rest of the tofu inside. They wanted to chill the tofu. Strange, for them to wrap up the dinner they had just made and put it in the refrigerator without touching it."

Phoenix knelt with his hands on his knees, staring at the floor. He was fidgeting slightly, growing depressed about the fact that all the evidence was beginning to point towards this 'Iris' as the culprit.

"On the top of the folding desk there was a small bottle of soy sauce. It was empty. Chilled tofu doesn't taste any good without soy sauce." Miles turned a page, and looked at it briefly before placing it down and gazing at Dahlia.

"The big bottle of soy sauce the two always kept under the sink was also missing."

"So…what would make them come to my house?"

Phoenix reached into his own bag and pulled out a clipboard.

"You wrote this bulletin yourself." He said quietly as Dahlia read it in silence.

**NOTE: We still have plenty of home made soy sauce!**

**Feel free to stop by the branch family at the main shrine.**

**Iris Hawthorne**

"Pearl Fey must have seen this and gone to your house with her big soy sauce bottle, Miss Iris." Miles said in a stony tone.

The rest of his deductions were also flawless. Phoenix and Miles' confidence could not be shaken and had Dahlia cornered.

_Miles…you sure take after your father, don't you?  
>Such brilliant investigating…<em>

"Iris...!" Phoenix's voice was firm, yet also carried a silent note of pain as he condemned his friend.

"The police already suspect you, detective Crescend's men are watching this house, ready to break in at any time…"

"AHAHAHAHAHHA…! To think I'd have such brilliant detectives close by! Ahhahahaah…! I admit it, you got me, you got me!"

The two of them sat there in shock as they watched Dahlia laugh. She suddenly stopped and bowed before them unexpectedly.

"I-Iris?" Phoenix looked at her with concern, and almost reached out a hand to touch her.

"Let me introduce myself to you properly once more. I am Iris, the heir to the branch family.

_Now, let the game begin._

"It would seem there are many things you would like to ask me."

…_A game of murder, in which the demon repeats a tragedy, all in the name of avenging one Mia Fey._

"I would like to tell you everything within my power, without hiding anything."

_The demon will attempt to capture Phoenix, to kill him in front of Iris._

_If you can determine that I'm not your best friend, "Iris" before that happens, then you win._

_**Now…see if you can figure out who I really am.**_

_They were probably looking for a reason to explain how their friend went mad, so I made one up._

_Phoenix and Miles were completely taken in by the history of Onigafuchi Village._

_Are they forcing themselves to accept that their best friend committed such crimes over such a stupid reason?_

_You're just trying to satisfy yourselves._

_Just like Mother…_

_Just like Iris…_

_I am a demon._

_A murderer…_

_A criminal…_

_Whatever my motive may be…_

…_it doesn't change a thing._

"To make Hinamizawa village into something that would be revered like Onigafuchi Village once was…that is our dearest wish as its descendants, and the destiny of the one who inherits the 'demon' of the branch family."

"…Inherits the 'demon'?" Phoenix spoke up, a confused look in his eyes.

"We in the branch family have had a tradition for generations of branding the 'demon' onto the family head's skin. It is carved into my body…"  
>To prove she was telling the truth, Dahlia reached to tug off her shrine outfit, but Miles stopped him.<p>

"It's alright, Miss Iris. You don't have to show us."

"Thank you," Dahlia said with relief. As she didn't actually have the demon on her back…but she had presumed that Miles would say something like this and sneered inwardly.

_Do you seriously still believe that I'm your best friend, 'Iris'?_

"But…Miss Iris…Pearl Fey and Maya Fey, you killed them, didn't you?"

"I won't make excuses…there's a demon living inside of me…but it wasn't the demon who did any of it. It was most definitely Iris Hawthorne herself."  
>Miles walked towards her and placed a calm hand on her shoulder.<p>

"Miss Iris, will you turn yourself in?"

"We'll go along with you!" Phoenix perked up and closed the distance between them himself. "We won't let our friend go alone!"

_Miles…is that as far as you can go?_

_I thought if anyone could, you would be able to see who I really am._

And then just at that moment, Dahlia felt a twinge of disappointment stir silently in her heart.

"You did save one person…" Miles unexpectedly said and turned towards his friend.

"You didn't kill Phoenix."

Dahlia chose that moment to smile.

A genuine smile.

And one of the last times she ever would.

"Now, why did I do that? Even I, the demon, cannot guess. Maybe there's a reason the Iris inside of me didn't want to kill him…"

She looked out towards the window, and saw the police cars parked with officers surrounding the garden.

_Looks like our time's up…and guess what?_

_**You lost.**_

"I'd like you to listen to one more selfish request. I just need thirty minutes. Let me be alone with Feenie."

Phoenix blinked and then nodded without hesitation. He whispered something into Miles' ear and then left with Dahlia leading the way.

Miles sat alone in the guest room, and lowered his head so that wisps of his dark grey hair covered his eyes.

"I wonder why…" he murmured to no one in particular.

"Why was Miss Iris forced to inherit the demon? It probably couldn't have been helped…However…I just…" With shock, he realised tears were sliding down his cheek.

"…feel so sorry for her…"

* * *

><p>They walked along the garden, watching cherry blossom petals break apart from their fragile embrace with the tree branches and drift along the wind until finally landing in the lily pond and imprinting themselves as ripples on the water surface.<p>

"I think Dahlia liked you too, Feenie." She said softly.

"Oh?" Phoenix blushed slightly as he let her hold his arm.  
>"Hey…you and Dahlia were close, weren't you?"<p>

"I don't know. Do you think your right and left hands get along, Feenie?"

"My right and left hands?" He looked bemused.

"They're not something you really talk about getting along or not…"

"That's what we were like. You couldn't measure our relationship on a scale according to how well we got along. From the moment we were born, we were together. We were in a set."

"I…see…" Phoenix suddenly became very interested in the braids of Dahlia's hair and couldn't take his eyes off them.

_Who…am I?_

_I was Iris._

_I was Dahlia._

_I should have accepted that._

_But I don't know if I'm Iris or Dahlia anymore._

She stopped suddenly, her heart finally unwound itself and deflating like a tied up balloon.

"…Dahlia's still alive."

Phoenix pulled away from her, a little too quickly.

"R-Really?"

"Come on, I want you to see all of my crimes. But it might be the most painful thing you'll ever witness, Feenie."

He hesitated, and then reached out a hand to ruffle her hair. The same way he did when they had first met, except much more gently and reassuringly.

"Whatever I may see…it doesn't change the fact that you're my best friend, Iris."

…

_Phoenix and Mia are supposed to be completely different._

_It doesn't make me happy to have his rough hand pt my head._

_It doesn't…feel good at all._

_But…_

_I think I understand…_

An image of Iris and Dahlia sharing cake in Dahlia's apartment swam before her.

_I think I finally understand…_

_Why she loves him._

"I killed them all right here." The large metal doors of the torture chamber closed with a dull thud and they walked silently down the steps.

"There was no audience. But I performed the Cotton Drifting beautifully. No…I suppose there was one audience member."

She turned towards Phoenix, true sadness in her eyes.

"Me. That demon that is me watched the entire time as Iris performed the Cotton Drifting."

_Phoenix…_

_Can't you see I'm trying to save you?_

_How many hints do I have to give you before you figure out that I'm not your best friend?_

_You two are her best friends, aren't you?_

_Don't you trust her?_

_Is it that easy for you to make the 'Iris' in your hearts into a serial killer?_

_Try believing that there's no chance your best friend would be a homicidal maniac._

_If you could sincerely believe it to the very end like Maya did…_

…_You should be able to figure out that I'm not 'Iris'…_

_That I am someone else who looks just like her…_

_If you can't…_

_You're no better than me, someone who so easily killed the Mia in her heart just like what you're doing now._

_**Someone who doesn't deserve to live.**_

"F-Feenie?" Iris' weary voice called out from behind the cell bars.

"D-Dahlia?" Phoenix still hadn't worked it out, and thought it was Dahlia, completely ignoring the fact that the prisoner's hair wasn't crimson red like he knew.

"F-Feenie? Is that really you, Feenie? FEENIE…!"

Phoenix reached a hand into the cell to grasp Iris' and stroked her hair.

"It's going to be okay now…"

And then, Dahlia's heart returned to that of a demon's once more.

_**Game over…**_

She pulled out her stun gun, and stepped towards Phoenix.

"NOOOOOOO…! SISTER, PLEASE! I DON'T CARE HOW YOU KILL ME, BUT PLEASE…SPARE PHOENIX!"

"Relax, I'll be sure to kill you…after letting you hear plenty of Feenie's screams1"

"NOOOOOOOO…!"

"Cut it out."

"Oh? Finally awake, Mr. Sleepy Head?"

Phoenix tried to get up, but realised he had been completely and utterly restrained by some sort of metal device. Cold steel was digging into each bend of his fingers, neck, chest and feet. He could barely lift his head up to see Dahlia towering over him with a cruel smile pasted on her face.

"Who…are you?"

"Huh? I'm Iris."

_Phoenix?  
>What do I do?<br>I already decided that it was 'game over'._

_Okay…it's alright._

_I'll listen to him._

"Then if I'm not Iris, who am I?"

_Now guess, Phoenix._

…_save the girl who loved you._

"**A demon."**

"Huh?"

"You're not Iris, give me back the Iris who I was with earlier!"  
>"Have you gone crazy from fear?"<p>

"QUIET, DEMON!"

"Heheh…aHAHAahAHHahaahahahaha!"

_So I'm not Iris or Dahlia._

_I couldn't even get him to think that I was Dahlia._

_No…that's not it…_

_Phoenix protected the Iris in his heart..._

_And…_

She gazed down into his determined sapphire eyes.

_He protected the Dahlia in his heart too._

_So, I'm not Iris or Dahlia…I'm a demon, huh?_

_I couldn't put it better myself!_

"IRIS! DON'T TO A STUPID DEMON!" Phoenix cried out, trying his best to break free of his bonds but to no avail.

_That's right…I lost to the demon._

_How did you know?_

_How did you know I didn't fight it?_

_But you know what…?_

_**I'm weak.**_

_I don't have the strength to conquer a demon._

"Why…Why did this have to happen? I-Iris…why?"

Dahlia came up with a reason from the top of her mind.  
>It wasn't made up, it was technically true.<p>

A memory, a distant memory of a crying Iris.

Telling her of a club activity they had had at a local toy store…

"Feenie…you really want to know why? It was a very long time ago that the demon came to live inside of Iris. The demon ate away at her, and tried to spur Iris to violence. But Iris held it back with sense and reason. I thought I had quieted the demon and that it had gone away for good. But the truth was…it was only dormant."

Dahlia leaned over Phoenix and silent tears rolled down her cheeks and onto his face.

"And a little thing caused the demon to awaken. It was the doll that you got on the day of the game tournament."

Her face was now only inches from his.

"It was…because of **you**."

"E-Eh…?" Phoenix could open his mouth and then close it again. Shock was clearly evident on his face and Dahlia continued to cry onto him. Burning tears which he would never be able to wipe away…

And a broken heart that he would never be able to heal.

"If you had given the doll to Iris back then, maybe things wouldn't have gone crazy."

_Back then…Iris cried._

_I was jealous because the person she loved was alive and so close to her._

_That small piece of jealousy ate away at me and awakened the demon sleeping in my heart._

"You're…joking…right?" Phoenix began to weep himself, finally ceasing to move about in an attempt to break free, and laid still.

"…Now. Are you ready? I'm about to get started."

"If that would quiet Iris' demon." He suddenly said, determination back in his shaken voice.

"Do you really mean it?"

"Yes…in exchange. Promise me two things."  
>Phoenix opened his eyes once more and watched the girl in front of him with warm eyes.<p>

"When you've hurt me until you're satisfied…forgive Dahlia."

_You…even at a time like this…you worry about Dahlia more than yourelf?_

_My hair is black._

_I dyed it myself._

…

_I'm now Iris._

_So why am I getting so worked up over this?_

"The other promise, is you disappear once you're done. Give that body back to Iris."

"So you..don't think of begging for your own life or anything like that?"

"…Can I change my promises from two to three?" Phoenix managed a small grin.

"Make the third one not to kill me."

"You said two at the beginning. You don't get any more."

"Heh…that's too bad."

_I understand completely why she fell in love with you now._

"I probably won't be able to keep those promises, you know? I'm a demon, after all."

"Well then, there'll be nothing anyone else can do, I suppose." Phoenix sighed, as if he had just realised he had made some stupid error on a school exam, not as if he were about to lose his life.

"Now do it."

"You know, Feenie…I could just grant your THIRD wish."

"…What?"

"Your first wish – to save Dahlia – that's no longer possible. The demon will kill Dahlia. That's been decided. I can't stop it. And your second wish – to give this body back to Iris – this is impossible too. Today was the cut off day, Iris won't ever come back. After today, I may look like Iris, but that will be a demon in my form."

"Don't talk like that!" Phoenix finally lost control and more tears spilled from his eyes.

"She'll never come back? Don't say such terrible things!"

Dahlia leaned in close to him and kissed his cheek.

"I'm sorry…for defiling Iris…"

"N-No matter what happens, the Iris in my heart won't change." He managed and closed his eyes to accept his fate.

"But forget me." The last piece of mercy in Dahlia's heart gave way and she dropped her torture devices and reached for her stun gun instead.

"If you see me after today, don't approach me…because I'll be the demon possessing my corpse."

**ZAP**

* * *

><p>A key slid into the cell's lock and it opened for the first time in nearly a week.<p>

"Iris, you can come out now. I only knocked Feenie out with the taser. The police are almost here, so he'll be safe."

Iris bowed before her sister in utter relief and pulled at her robes.

"Thank you…nngh…thank you so much…"  
>"But I'm not done with you yet…" Dahlia suddenly grabbed Iris' wrist and drew her close.<p>

"We're getting out of here…but before that…

**I'm giving 'Iris' back to you.**"

"Eh…?"

"Take off your clothes…we're trading."

After they had changed, Iris was led by Dahlia to the well where bodies were disposed of. There was a ladder on the side that extended all the way down to the bottom.

"Please…you go first. We're going to look for the hidden passage that's supposedly at the bottom of the well.

Iris trembled slightly but did as she was told. She dangled the torch around her neck and grabbed onto the ladder, walking down the first two steps.

She felt something pointed right at her neck and looked up, to see Dahlia holding the taser an inch from her throat.

"D-Dah…lia…?"

"I saved Feenie just like you wanted. And you said I could kill you instead, right?"

Her eyes suddenly looked pale and glowed in the darkness of the cave.

"You're going to fall from here and die, dressed as Iris. And I'm dressed as Dahlia…so Feenie will testify that I was the victim. I'll wait in the stone cell for the police to come and help me. They won't even be able to figure it out with fingerprints or anything since this body originally belonged to Dahlia. And your dead corpse will be that of Iris Hawthorne."

"If you kill me…will that avenge Mia?"

"…If you know that much…then you must be ready for it. Fall down there and apologise to Mia."  
>"Dahlia…Mia…<p>

…**isn't at the bottom of this well.**"

"Oh? Didn't you say she was?"  
>She felt a nerve twitch slightly.<p>

Even in this situation, Iris was willing to lie to her?

"If she was killed by the branch family, then I think she would have been thrown down here…I did say that."

"This is getting complicated." Dahlia placed a hand under her sister's chin and drew her closer to her once more.

"Try explaining it to your big sister in a way that's a little easier to understand."

"I…liked Mia very much too…"

"Figures…she was good enough for me to love her as a best friend, after all."

"So…when Mia disappeared, I was so sad and angry. I did lots of investigating." Iris wiped away her ever present tears with one hand and then swallowed before continuing.

"I approached Mother…I was ready to strangle her…and she told me. That it's something she would only tell the next head of the branch family…and that I must keep it a secret."

"What is it? Spit it out already!" Dahlia hissed, steadily growing impatient.

"The branch family…never did anything."

"…Huh?"

"It's true that the branch family has a strong influence in the underworld through our father's connections as a yazuka boss. And in reality, they did use unlawful methods to protest during the disputes. That's exactly why when the murders happened, everyone believed that the branch family was the one pulling the strings. And Mother would smile suggestively and say suspicious things…so everyone believed without a doubt that she was the mastermind.

But that was…an act handed down through generations of branch family leaders…

A bluff they used whenever there was a convenient coincidence, that made it look like the branch family had instigated the change for the better.

Everyone belived that the branch family was causing the incidents, when in reality, they weren't doing a thing…"

"Y-You're lying! So, you're saying that they WEREN'T involved?"

"I don't think…that Mother would lie to me!" Iris clung onto the ladder desperately and stared at her sister in fear.

"Especially about Mia's disappearance, she said she really didn't know anything about it! I mean, Mother let you have you friendship with Mia! You did a good job of making atonement so she said she would forget about the whole thing!"  
>"It's a lie…IT'S A LIE!" SO THEN WHO ERASED MIA? WHO, WHO?"<p>

"Mother said she had been looking into who was causing Ami Fey's Curse for a long, long time… but she couldn't find them."

_Everyone believes that it's someone in the village…_

_But there's no such person?_

"I told you that Pearl Fey came at me with a syringe that would make me scratch my throat out. I think Powers was probably killed with the same injection…"

Dahlia suddenly grabbed Iris' face with her claw like hands.

"WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?"

"I don't know…I can't believe that Pearly would do such a thing…"

_I think that…neither Iris nor the hag were lying._

_In that case…Mother didn't have as strong a grasp on everything about Hinamizawa as I thought she did._

_She didn't know about the terrible drug…_

_And she didn't know that Pearl Fey was a possible suspect to carry out the curse._

_Uncle Hammond doesn't know anything either…_

_He sincerely believed to the end that Morgan was in charge of it all._

_Is it the reincarnation of Ami?_

_Pearl's behavior, the elderly people who blindly follow her…_

_Was another unique power centered around her…working in the shadows?_

_It can't be…_

_It's impossible…it's unthinkable…_

_It's absurd._

_In other words…_

_Now that I've killed the head of the branch family and countless others…_

_I'm about to close the curtain, and I still have the wrong idea about the dark secrets of Hinamizawa village._

_So my revenge play…_

_**Does this mean…I've killed.**_

_**Innocent people…?**_

"…Heh…You're good, Iris. So at the very last second, you're trying to turn my revenge play upside down?"

"Dahlia..believe me…I didn't let Mia die!"

More salty tears rolled down Iris' thin face, her who figure nothing but misery represented through human form.

"**Dahlia…Please believe me!"**

"…Iris…"

Dahlia wiped away her sister's tears with a finger and then cradled her face towards hers.

"D-Dahlia…"

"…

**If you really are innocent…then you can go to heaven."**

_**If I were still Iris' sister…maybe she would have moved my heart.**_

_**But **_

_**I**_

_**Am**_

_**A**_

_**Demon.**_

**ZAP**

Iris' expression turned from relieved to a mixture of pain and shock almost in an instant and lost her hold on the ladder. Dahlia felt no remorse as she gave her sister a final shove with the taser in her hand and pushed her off completely.

She fell…deeper and deeper into the well.

Until a sickening crunch was heard at the bottom.

As if she had been eaten alive.

"Apologise when you see Mia in heaven, won't you? I can't go to heaven…so I can't tell her I'm sorry."

_**Instead, I'll go to the bottom most depths of hell.**_

_**I'll survive until I can find a fitting death.**_

_**So that I may end this tragic play.**_

_**Permanently. **_

**Part VI – Conviction – End.**


	8. Epilogue  Promise

**The Eye Opening Turnabout**

**Epilogue – Promise**

_I…couldn't take it anymore…_

_The thing Miles had once warned me of was no longer Mia…_

_Or a vision of myself…_

_It was now…Iris' ghost._

**DaHlia…**

**HoW lonG ARE yOu going tO LIVE?**

**You sAiD you wOulD DIE right aWay…**

**I'M waiTING foR you…**

**The boTtoM of the WEll is DARK AND COLD…**

**I'm in PAIN**

**It HUrts…**

**DIE…**

**Hurry…**

**aNd DIE…!**

"**ARGH! SHUT UP, IRIS!"**

**We ARE SiSters…**

**TheRefORE we aRE aLwaYs TOGETHEr…**

**We're EVeN together in DEaTh…**

**So…YOu seE?**

Iris' disfigured body crawled from beneath the covers Dahlia was sleeping in and reached for her with rotting fingers.

**I caMe foR yOU.**

Dahlia ran from the room, absolutely terrified out of her wits and slammed the door, then locking it securely.

She then rummaged desperately in the drawers where the clothes were kept.

The door began banging by itself.

She could no longer convince herself that it was only a hallucination.

"I get it, Iris. A death befitting me…would be for you to curse me to death. But look, I won't disappear for nothing."

She finally found what she was looking for and pulled the clothes on.

It was Iris' school uniform.

She opened the window and a strong cold breeze tore through her jet black hair.

"**It's not fair for the boy you loved to survive!"**

Once she had thrown the second rock on his window, Phoenix finally peeked through the curtains. His face lit up immediately at the sight of her and he ran out.

There was a doll in his hand.

A duplicate of the doll he had given to Maya.

A duplicate.

That was all it was.

And all she was.

_I knew it._

_It's always Iris._

_It's not FAIR._

And with that thought, she embedded the sharp knife right into Phoenix's stomach.

_I want to give Mia…_

_a doll too!_

She watched with a haunting smile on her face as Phoenix fell to the ground, clutching his bloodied clothes in agony. The doll fell right next to him, and soaked his blood right up.

The image of Dahlia laughing madly in the evening air ringed in his ears before he passed out.

_Yes._

_This is…all a dream._

_A very bad dream._

**Drip**

_I mean…I'm in my room…just like always._

_I'm just having a nightmare._

**Drip**

_So then…where am I?_

_And…what's that noise?_

She looked down and realised there was blood on her hands.

Phoenix's blood.

It was dripping steadiliy onto the concrete floor.

_That's right._

_In my dream, I left from the balcony._

_The door is locked._

_So all I have to do is go back in through the balcony._

_And I'll be fine…_

**Step**

_Eh…?_

Dahlia turned back to find the source of the noise and lost her footing.

She fell.

And landed with a gut wrenching thud.

She awoke with a gnawing pain at the back of her head, and realised she had fallen several floors down.  
>But had landed on a small platform one of the apartment owners had recently installed.<p>

Warm blood had leaked out of her split forehead and completely soaked half of her hair.

She smirked.

Half of her was red, and half of her was black.

She could be whoever she wanted to be now.

Dahlia…

Or Iris.

She could pull both of them off easily.

**Step**

_Oh, so you're back again, huh?_

_Maybe you can help me…_

_Please… tell me;_

_What…was my life?_

…

_**You are Dahlia Hawthorne.**_

_**Sister to Iris Hawthorne, the next head of the branch family.**_

_**One day she will be in charge…**_

_**Of both this family and Hinamizawa.**_

"_**Iris. You wait until the family meeting's over, then we'll be able to play together!" Dahlia playfully tweaked her sister's nose, and was led by Hammond outside.**_

"_**It's not fair…Dahlia. " Iris was close to tears once more.**_

_**She was such a crybaby.**_

_**But that was partly the reason why Dahlia loved her so much.**_

"_**It's not fair that you and are always separated."**_

_**Dahlia smiled back at her reassuringly.**_

"_**You know that I don't mind at all, Iris. Look, I'll be playing on the hill out back by myself, waiting for you. I'll be waiting…so you'd better come, promise?"**_

"_**O-of course!" Iris finally smiled back.**_

"_**I'll be there!"**_

"_**Good. I'll see you there, Sister."**_

_Wow…to think I'm late for a meeting that I myself had arranged._

_I really am pathetic, huh?_

…

_Well then, I'll be there soon, Iris._

Dahlia stood up from the pool of blood.

Looked up at the full moon.

And jumped.

Two locks of hair whipped about in front of her eyes.

One black.

And one red.

_Now smash my head open._

_And take me to the hell I deserve._

_I wonder where it all went wrong._

…

_Yes…I already know._

_Mia reminded me._

_**Take care…**_

_**Of Maya for me.**_

_Yes…_

_You know I…truly believe that you will come back._

_I'll be waiting for you._

_I'll wait with Maya until you do._

_Mia could have entrusted her dear little sister to anyone._

_But she chose me._

_I …didn't even understand a simple thing like that._

_Mia…_

_I want you to smile at me again…_

_I want you to ruffle my hair…_

_Just once…_

_One more time…_

The black lock of hair disappeared, and now she could only see red.

_I'm sorry…_

_I'm asking for too much…_

She realised then that it wasn't her blood that had stained this lock of hair red.

It was too bright for that.

She had missed it when she was dying it black.

It was a tiny lock of hair.

The only piece of her true identity she had left.

_Hey…why was I born?_

_I wish I never had been._

_If I hadn't been born, I wouldn't have gone through with this…_

_Who would look for any meaning…in such a meaningless life?_

And then, Dahlia wept.

_If I hadn't been born…_

_No one…would have been unhappy…_

_So, thank you._

_For being so nice to someone like me…_

_For teaching someone like me…_

_How to become best friends with someone…_

_Someone like me…_

_Everyone…_

**I'm sorry.**

_Mia._

_If you ever give me a second chance._

_I'll never make the same mistake again._

_Good bye._

_You…were my best friend._

**Hee hee…**

…_Eh?_

* * *

><p>"<strong>It's LUNCH TIME! LUNCH TIME!"<strong>

"**Now, let's get the desks together!"**

"**We're sticking them together, Mr. Nick! Stick!"**

"**I…have meatballs for lunch."**

"**Sounds good! I would love some!"**

"**Haha…! Meatballs are my very favourite food! I hope none of you think you'll get a single bite!"**

"…We can't be having that! You haven't been getting enough vegetables, Maya! So I have specially prepared a pumpkin lunch, JUST for you!"

**"EH? I HATE pumpkin!"**

"Mia's depending on me, so I am responsible for maintaining your health!"

"**Run away, run away!"**

"Huh? Come back here, Maya!"

* * *

><p>I kept thinking how nice it would be…<p>

If everything that's happened up to today has been a dream…

That's why I wrote this…

Believing it will become a dream.

It's a long…dream…

A ridiculously long dream…

and it would mean I'd have been asleep for over a year.

That's right.

I lost consciousness in a car accident over a year ago.

And I'll finally wake up.

When I open my eyelids…

Mia…who's cared for me the whole time…will be there…

Smiling at me.

I guess…

That would really be too perfect.

But…it's okay…right?

**Yes.**

It's okay…to make it into something like this…?

It's okay…right?

…

I'm so sorry.

**I'm so sorry.**

…for being born.

* * *

><p><strong>The Eye Opening Turnabout <strong>

**End.**


End file.
